


Roller Coaster

by PunkRoxas



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Beaches, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Disney Movies, Disney World, F/M, Florida, Lots of different Kingdom Hearts and FF characters all over the place, Love, M/M, Mistakes, Popsicles, Smoking, Teenagers, Walt Disney World, best friends falling love, learning to love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2018-04-10 17:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 103,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4400093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunkRoxas/pseuds/PunkRoxas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a story about an excessive intake of ice cream, Disney Castle, getting jealous over your best friend and not knowing why, hot Florida days, cold New Jersey beaches, learning things about yourself, Space Mountain, wishing upon a star, overpriced food, The Mad Tea Party ride and hand holding...among other things.</p>
<p>Mostly though, it's just two boys who met long distance, dreamed of working at Walt Disney World and fell in love along the way.</p>
<p>Have a playlist: http://8tracks.com/rocketroxas/come-a-little-closer-you-were-such-a-roller-coaster</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Dream is a Wish (Your Heart Makes)

Even at a young age Sora knew he hated peas. There was something very unsettling about a ball of green sitting so peacefully and spherically on your clean white washed high chair table. Furthermore, there was something even more unsettling about the fact you were supposed to eat it. He much preferred the idea of flinging it precariously across the kitchen into his older brother’s vicinity. A very flustered and much too uptight for a nine year old, Vanitas, would scowl and pose the ever common drawn out name of ‘Moooom!’ to which his mother release a sigh from somewhere nearby and would complain she needed a new name. A name that nobody had the right to know so they’d stop calling her heedlessly all day.  

Things like that stuck out to Sora. Little days and simple things from an early childhood. The way his father was cheerful and upbeat in the early hours of the morning but was worn down and terribly irritated by the end of the day. He remembered a summer day when his brother had sat with him in a child sized blow up pool in the front yard. They had a beach ball with them and a rather disagreeable gust of wind had blown the ball all the way down a very steep hill. Sora had cried excessively. As a three year old, clearly, the minute you lose something it becomes your most prized possession. He had pitched such a fit that Vanitas had eventually pulled himself from the pool and climbed all the way down the hill just to retrieve it for him. Maybe that was when Vanitas had started calling him a crybaby.

Sora remembered his father taking him to some sort of football party or get together when he was eight and being incredibly bored. He could recall him telling the other men, fathers and husbands, about how he had been born with absolutely no hair and suddenly one day there was too much brown and it was just completely out of control. He remembered they all laughed and said it suited him and he was handsome, regardless. He was sitting on a small love seat nearby, kicking his feet while this conversation occurred and he fondly recalled sticking his tongue out in annoyance. Handsome? That sounded dumb. 

He remembered car trips, though, not the destination. When it was really late at night and they were driving home from some sort of vacation or family reunion his father would allow him to unbuckle his seat belt and lay on the floor in the back of the car. Sora liked falling asleep to the hushed voices of his parents and the moving tone of the vehicle with nothing but the little green and yellow lights on the dashboard blinking back and forth. 

Once, Vanitas had told Sora that Santa Clause wasn’t real. He remembered that too, but less fondly. Now, when Sora thought about it, he considered himself to have been much too young to deal with such a life crisis at the time. There had been a lot of yelling and a few curse words, courtesy of his older brother, before Vanitas had punched him square in the face. That was the first time Sora had experienced a nose bleed and his brother do a very sophisticated one hundred and eighty degree turn. In a matter of what had to be about thirty seconds, Vanitas had yelled at him, punched him and then began to profusely apologize while pressing Sora’s own sleeve to his gushing nose. Funny enough, Sora didn’t cry. There wasn’t much time for it.

Other things were fuzzy and fogged over much like memories tend to do as you age. Certain things crane their necks out, though. Like a carefully complied book with sticky notes branching out of the top to bookmark important topics and life lessons and things you should pay extra attention to. Maybe they’re even color-coded based on importance or the topic at hand. 

If Sora’s life was such a thing, then there was an area that was not only marked with a single, color-coded sticky note. It also had the corner bent and the entire chapter itself boldly highlighted. Scribbles lined the sides of white to indicate footnotes and extra information that wasn’t necessarily covered as well as it should have been. This was a part of Sora’s life he knew in detail. From start to finish, this was something he could recall in the blink of his deep blue eyes and a rush of blood to his cheeks. He would talk fast and his pulse would quicken and when he spoke his hands would move a lot. If there was anything Sora was good at, it was gesturing when he spoke. It had to have something to do with the Italian in his blood, or so his mother would say.

Why shouldn’t he remember this so vividly? It had left the most impact on his life if one were to look at the large picture. Why shouldn’t he remember every little detail? People don’t often ask Sora this story and he usually prefers it that way. Because unless they’re prepared for at least well over an hour of in depth and very excitable story telling, there’s not much point. He likes to tell the story, but only to those who are willing to listen and listen well. Lets face it, Sora has never taken anything in life lightly. 

Intensity comes naturally to Sora. Whether its the way he holds a video game controller, tongue slightly poking out from between his lips; mutters and curses strung together in a choir of nonsense, to the way he takes his socks off. You know, by stepping on his own feet and yanking them free because bending over is entirely too much effort to put into taking off socks. Taking off socks also takes up time. 

He embarrasses Vanitas when they go out to eat when he does a very accurate and loud impression of the latest movie he’s seen, hands moving wildly and face alight with excitement. His father had always said he should have gone into acting. Whatever movie he recently watched he’d find himself immersed in for the next seven hours.

So when it comes to something so important to him and so life changing in his eyes, why would he not remember every little detail and want to recount his exploits with as much admiration as he can? He feels like he owes it to that memory to get every ounce correct. That memory has served him well over the many years of his young life and he would very much feel guilty should he not tell you accordingly. 

It was April. It was April and Sora was six years old. Six years old with an imagination that could simply not be contained. The day before his most vivid memory takes place he had begged his older brother to build a pillow fort with him in the finished basement of their home. Vanitas had chosen to ignore Sora in favor of his very important eleven year old activities which mostly included finishing his math homework and trying to get his mother to let him play Runescape on her computer. Vanitas was very serious about his Runescape. 

After being denied access to his virtual world through his mother’s disapproval, however, Vanitas agreed to help Sora build his castle of pillows. The brunette was so excited he had already gathered everyone’s pillows in the house and carried them downstairs. Sora seemed to think this a great achievement but Vanitas knew when their dad came home he’d be displeased at the gesture. 

After an hour of hard work, a rather large blanket tent stood in the basement, stretching from one couch to the other. It wasn’t half bad either. It had plenty of passageways and was sturdy enough that it wouldn’t crash down when you wiggled inside. It had two entrances and even Vanitas had to clap his younger brother on the back and tell him they did good. They stood away from it, admiring their handiwork. 

“Well…What’s it called?” Vanitas asked, glancing down at his younger brother with a small nudge. Sora didn’t look up at him but had his eyes fixed on the structure at hand. He didn’t reply at first and Vanitas nudged him again. 

“I said, what’s it called, stupid! Like…what is it?”  
“Thinking.”  
“Well, think faster or I’m gonna do it.”  
“No! It was my idea! Just wait a second!!”  
“I did wait a second.”  
“Wait more seconds!!”

Vanitas sighed and crossed his arms.  
“I can’t go inside until you tell me what it is. Thats bad pillow fort luck!” Sora stuck out his tongue and shook his head from side to side. 

“Says who?” he asked, also crossing his arms because whatever his older brother did it was younger brother etiquette to copy him. 

“Says me, bonehead, now pick one!!”

Sora looked back at the carefully constructed pillow arrangement and bit his lip while he thought about it. He uncrossed his arms and fidgeted with his shirt. 

“It’s…Uh…Mm…” He looked up at Vanitas and his eyes got big and he jumped slightly as though remembering a very important fact as he did so. He smiled widely and Vanitas raised a dark eyebrow which disappeared into his darker bangs. 

“It’s the Elephant Graveyard!! From Lion King!! Better run fast or the hyena’s are gonna get ya!!” 

That was all it took. With those words, Sora dove into the small entrance of the blanket fort and scurried out of sight. Vanitas followed suit the minute his brain caught up with the equation. He’d never say thank you to Sora but he was grateful that this time the game was one of his favorites. After all, Sora knew how much Van loved The Lion King. 

Because that was the constant in their home. Disney. Sora and Vanitas had both grown up surrounded by the genre of heartfelt and timeless productions and both of them would have it no other way. Sora’s first Disney movie had been Cinderella. He’d seen it once and then proceeded to watch it on repeat for days until he finally burned himself out on it and then move on to the next Disney movie. He'd repeat this pattern until he’d seen all of them and then he would start all over again. Because while Vanitas liked Disney movies, Sora adored them. 

The first time he saw Peter Pan, it become his favorite. Instantly and completely he fell in love with the idea of Neverland and made his sole purpose in life from that day forth to not only become a lost boy but to somehow own his very own animal onesie. A fox, preferably. That is, of course, until he saw Hercules. 

As a small boy, Sora was transfixed with the idea of heroes. The concept was rather large and wonderful to him. Hercules was kind, strong, brave and humble even if he didn’t always fit in. He even put others before himself. Plus, Pain and Panic made him laugh a lot and Phil reminded him of Vanitas with his quick temper and angry worrying. That, and Pegasus was the coolest thing Sora had ever seen, hands down. His father brought him home a small plush of the horse once and the brunette never let it out of his sight. It’s white fur got so dirty that Sora’s mom put it in the wash and Sora cried on the laundry room floor for the entire forty minutes that he and it had to be apart. 

He still loved Peter Pan, however and seeing Treasure Planet in theaters changed his whole world. He loved the songs in Oliver and Company and his favorite Disney princess was Ariel. He asked his mom about her every time he saw the ocean or any large body of water that resembled an ocean. He’d ask as if she was an old friend he hadn’t seen in awhile but he was sure his mother had. Because mom’s know everything. 

The entire household had a hard time getting Sora to stop singing. He sang a lot. It wasn’t as though his voice was bad. In fact, for a child he had a fairly good voice. It was just that it was constant and usually overdone. Sora would get stuck on a Disney song or particular movie and suddenly you couldn’t get away from “Under the Sea” or “A Very Merry Unbirthday.”. He’d get lost in his own little world, as children do, and you’d find him singing and dancing around in public. Once it started, there was no stopping it. Vanitas hated it unless they were in the car with the music playing along. 

Sora adored Disney. Which is why his most vivid memory should involve it. 

It began the day after the pillow fort. When Sora’s mother woke him at some unreasonable hour and told him he didn’t have to go to school that day. He was groggy and hungry and those words didn’t register until he had sleepily tried to put his legs through his shirt sleeves.

No school? His first real awake thought was to protest. As a child, missing school isn’t as fantastic as it becomes the older you get. He gets to see his friends at school and to color a lot and have recess and his mom would sometimes pack him a Lunchables. He looked forward to decorating his own dessert pizza and telling his friends, like Tidus, that they’re not allowed to pick off the m&m’s; which they do anyway.

He was also very curious. Did that mean a doctors appointment? Sora shuddered in the morning chill at the thought. No. Mom handled that a lot differently. If he was going to get a shot she would make it a top priority to schedule it after school and to not tell him a thing until the car pulled into the parking lot. It was a precaution so that unsuspecting child Sora did not throw a fit all the way there and the days leading up to. It stressed him out and his mom would rather just deal with the tantrum for an hour at the doctors office than for days on end. 

 

However, something seemed very similar about this situation as nobody was telling Sora why he was missing school. Vanitas claimed he had no idea what was going on and told Sora to shut up when they ate cereal together that morning because it was early and the black haired boy was tired and cranky. His little brother kept asking him, regardless. His tone changed when they were loading suitcases into the car, however, to a very excited ‘I know something that you don’t!’ jingle. 

Sora was just getting irritated at this point. It was early. He had been woken up. Forced to get dressed in his Mickey Mouse shirt. (Not that he minded too much.) Forced to skip school which meant he couldn’t play tag at recess and nobody, not even is parents, would tell him why and to top it all off now Vanitas knew and he didn’t. 

They told him when they got the airport. Sora lost his mind. 

“We’re going to Disney World!”

As I said, Sora remembers everything from this point on. 

Six year old in a crowded airport terminal with wide blue eyes and a mess of chocolate brown, impossible to tame, bed head. His suitcase was just the right size for him to pull and his breakfast was rolling around in his stomach like it was just as excited as he was. He made some kind of discernible noise that fell between the confines of a gasp and a scream and Vanitas snorted and laughed at him. Suddenly, Sora’s mind was racing and he had a million questions ranging from ‘How are we getting there? Did you bring my bathing suit?’ to ‘Will Hercules be there? Can I talk to him?’ 

Truth be told, Sora doesn’t remember much of his very first plane ride other than his dad trading seats with him so he could have the window and Vanitas poking him in the side when he got bored and making him laugh too loud for the confines of an airplane at eight in the morning.

Otherwise it was blue skies and soft white clouds and the promise of the most wonderful time of your life just a few short hours away. They watched Treasure Planet on his mom’s laptop and when the plane began to descend into Florida, both boys made a game out of counting all the pools they could see from the air. 

For the first time in the brunette’s life when they touched down in the sunshine state, he was quiet. Vanitas nudged him twice when they stepped off the jetway because Sora was never quiet. He just gripped his red backpack straps harder and his eye’s were wide and watery and Van thought for a moment he was going to have to quell some tears in a big brother like fashion. 

Sora cried over everything. You could buy him a popsicle from the ice cream man in the summer and he’d cry. Just a week before his mom had washed one of his favorite shirts and when she made her rounds delivering laundry, Sora saw it and promptly burst into tears. He hated onions so once, when his dad made onions to put on his own burger for dinner, Sora cried. It didn’t matter that they weren’t on Sora’s burger. So it made sense for him to be in a state of shock now that they were actually in Florida.

When they took the elevator down to the lower floor of the Orlando International and Sora saw the signs for Disney’s Magical Express, whatever he’d been holding in exploded, though, luckily, there were no tears. 

“There it is! There it is!” They waited in line to board the bus and the entire family had to listen to a very exuberant account of reasons why Sora thought Hercules was the best Disney hero if you didn’t count Jim Hawkins. Vanitas would chirp in now and again and give an opinion here or there but most of it was Sora talking over himself. 

Whenever he mentioned a character he would gasp excitedly at a realization and tug at his mother’s arm and ask if that particular character would be at the park and if Sora could meet them. His mother’s amused smile and a faint ‘We’ll have to see.’ became a staple for the ten minute line wait to board the charter bus to the resort.

Sora didn’t stop talking about Disney movies for the entire ride and at one point he even tried to get a very disgruntled Vanitas to sing along to ‘The Bear Necessities’. Some part of Sora hoped the entire bus would sing if he started but he was too embarrassed to do it alone and Van was not having it. He practically kept up an entire run on sentence the majority of the ride. 

When the bus was finished zig zagging through Orlando’s city of tall buildings, expensive restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions it became clear that Sora was, indeed, the most excited of the party.

The bus took a turn at an intersection and they were suddenly driving under a very large archway depicting the famous title and familiar signage of Walt Disney World. Sora’s sentence was cut halfway through and his mouth dipped open a little and his blue eye’s started to shine with a light sprinkling of tears. Maybe he would have actually started crying if Vanitas hadn’t punched him in the arm so hard he nearly fell into the aisle way. Then they simply started a scuffle in their shared bus seat until dad threatened to turn the entire bus of guests around and take them back home. 

They stayed at The Art of Animation resort. Sora’s parents assumed the giant model statue’s of Disney characters might be the most suitable for their kids. They were correct. Vanitas was older than Sora at the age of eleven and he still got extremely excited at the sight of the Lion King characters in frozen prancing across the hotel’s exterior. He shouted “Simba!!” before Sora even saw them and Sora snickered because his older brother always tried to keep his cool.

Although, Sora had a similar moment when he saw the pool because the giant jellyfish from Finding Nemo were apparently too much for him to handle at his young and tender age. He wanted to go swimming. Right now. No, he wanted to go climb on top of the giant Dalmatians. No, he wanted to see where they’d be eating because he had heard from a boy at school that they gave you Mickey shaped waffles.

Sora’s head was spinning. Honestly, his parents could have taken him to the hotel, spent a night and gone home in the morning and Sora would have been eternally grateful and clearly a changed boy from that moment on. If the hotel was having him this excited, just thinking about the park the next day was nearly too much to handle. 

The rooms were standard but as a child there’s always something really exciting about staying in a hotel room. Vanitas and Sora claimed the bed by the window and then Van proceeded to jump from bed to bed until Sora joined in. Which is, until their dad once again, threatened to take them both back to the airport and put them on the first flight home. Then both boys decided it would be fun to unpack and put all their clothes in the chest of drawers as if they actually lived there. 

To an eleven year old and six year old, this was apparently hilarious.

They went swimming that evening and ate at a buffet that was more food than Sora had ever seen in his entire six years of living; which clearly is a rather long time. Vanitas challenged him to see who could pile the most ice-cream on a plate and then who could eat it all. Van actually lost and regretted taking on his younger brother who he knew to have such an indescribable sweet tooth. The sugar rush Sora experienced was more than anyone in the family wanted to handle that late in the evening at Disney World. Luckily when he came down from it, he crashed.

They went to bed exhausted from the day’s events but Sora was still buzzing from excitement about where they would be in the morning. He didn’t think he would ever sleep and kept glancing at the digital clock and whispering loud questions about Magic Kingdom to Vanitas who was ready to smother Sora with his own pillow by the time eleven o’ clock rolled around.

Surprisingly, the brunette had no trouble waking up. He was tired but as soon he realized where he was and what was going on, he leapt out of bed so fast Vanitas yelled more out of shock than annoyance. “It’s today! It’s today!! It’s today!!” He started jumping on the bed while Van groaned and caught Sora around the ankle to drag him back down. The younger boy just laughed hysterically and punched his older brother in the arm. 

“It’s today!”  
“I know, okay?!!”  
 Sora got to have his Mickey Mouse shaped waffles with extra strawberries. He was so excited though that he ate them extremely fast and then had to sit very impatiently while his family finished eating their own breakfasts. Where exactly were their priorities? Sora thought. The park was only a shuttle ride away and they were concerned with such things as breakfast. To the bouncing boy with syrup all over his mouth, that was simply ridiculous.

Now, Sora remember’s the first time they stepped foot into the Magic Kingdom more than he will come to remember anything in his life. The shuttle dropped them at the main gates and they waited in line to have their bags checked and tickets handed over. His father handed him his ticket so he could experience handing it to the gentlemen who worked there himself and when it was scanned, the attendant replied. 

“Well, that looks in order! Have a good day today, prince!” Sora’s jaw dropped and he realized he’d been waiting to be called that his entire life. 

When they walked through the tunnel and Main Street, USA emerged in front of them on the other side, Sora was fairly certain his heart had taken permanent residence in his throat. If he coughed the wrong way it was probably going to end up in his lap and that was an entirely messy situation for everyone involved. Therefore, it was very hard for Sora to speak.

Main Street was everything he’d hoped for and more. The colorful old style shops stuck out all the way down the street. There wasn’t a storefront that didn’t catch your eye. Everything from fresh cupcakes the size of Sora’s head to candy apples the size of Vanitas’. 

There was a chocolate shop and a bakery and you could smell it all from anywhere you stood. Carts selling balloons that amounted to over a hundred were scattered here and there along the street and Sora didn’t understand how the cart and the teenager selling them didn’t get lifted into the sky. To the left there was a clothing and toy store all with the promise of any kind of character themed thing you could think of. Sora could see Little Mermaid and Monster’s Inc. shirts and a Stitch plush that was bigger than his whole dad just from where he was standing.

He pointed and shouted and even jumped and Van tugged on his shirt and practically imitated Sora with sheer excitement. Any cool his older brother had saved up was lost in an instant but Sora was far too ecstatic to pay much attention to it which was a pity; all things considered.

However, the best thing about Main Street was what you saw if you looked straight down from it. 

There, at the end of the brightly lit shopping avenue teeming with people was The Magic Kingdom’s crowning jewel. Sora figured that nothing could ever top the moment his eyes first traveled further down the street to take in the big picture. He’d burn that moment into his little memory for safe keeping from then to the end of time. 

The sun was shining bright across the blue and white bricks as the Disney castle loomed in the distance, overlooking the entirety of Magic Kingdom. It was another one of those rare moments where Sora lost his ability to speak. After all they’d already seen this was the moment that Sora actually had tears fall silently down his cheeks. Not even Vanitas calling him a cry baby were enough to rouse him at that sight. He could hardly hear his mother low key scolding her eldest son. All that mattered to Sora was the sight he was seeing right now. 

To a six year old, this is the equivalent of seeing The Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China for the first time. Whose to say that the Disney castle is not a national monument at this point, anyway? Perhaps its like that for all of us, no matter the age. Regardless, Sora was transfixed. 

After wiping his cheeks he immediately turned to his parents, addressing them both and asked with a rush. 

“That’s where Mickey lives right?” His parents glanced at each other before his mom tried to explain it was Cinderella’s Castle but that, yes, Mickey, for all intensive purposes of pleasing a six year old, did live there.  
 “So…So…that means that…” Sora looked back at the castle, his tearful blue eyes scanning over every brick and every turret. “If this is the Magic Kingdom and Mickey lives in the castle then that means that…He’s the King, right?!” Sora whirled around yet again to address this question as though the answer would hold the meaning to life and beyond. Vanitas began to laugh and say something along the lines of ‘Mickey’s not the king, stupid.’ before his dad placed a hand on his eldest son’s shoulder to stop him. His mother chuckled and his dad laughed, nodded and winked. 

“That’s right, Sora. Mickey’s the King of Disney World.” 

Sora would never refer to Mickey as anything other than The King from that moment on. As far he was concerned, Mickey was having his coronation ceremony right that very second. He would refer to him as The King with no other context from then on and proceed to confuse everyone he encountered with the title.

The rest of the morning seemed as though to pass by in a blur. Seeing the castle for the first time was not the last time Sora cried for the day. Not by a long shot. He cried when he took his first bite of a mouse-eared dilly bar as though the chocolate held all the answers in the world and he cried when he rode the Flying Dumbo ride because he got to decide when it went up or down. He cried three separate times at three different character meet and greets, as well. Once, when he met Peter Pan who told him to never grow up and made him and Vanitas official lost boys. Again, when he met Ariel and Eric who were together that day, and finally when he met his favorite Disney hero, Hercules. 

Sora, at first, was shaking in line. When the attendant told him it was his turn, Vanitas thought for sure his younger brother was going to change his mind and hide behind him the entire meet. However, when they approached Hercules and the hero stooped down to say hello, Sora ran at him and threw his arms around his favorite character’s waist. He had tears streaming down his face and immediately started a very large and excitable run on sentence that began with “You’re my favorite because you didn’t give up and you found where you belong and you’re a true hero now!!”

He got his autograph book signed and asked about Pegasus and Phil and if Hercules visited his parents on Mount Olympus and if him and Meg had ‘…you know…held hands?’ The attendant working for Hercules eventually had to hurry a photo along and practically peel Sora away because it almost seemed the boy would keep talking to his favorite forever. Vanitas was embarrassed by his little brother crying and talking so much in front of so many Disney characters but he preferred it to Sora freezing up and stuttering behind him. 

Vanitas’ favorite ride was Space Mountain, which Sora was terrified of in line but liked after he’d rode it. Vanitas’ least favorite ride was the Mad Tea Party tea cups. He discovered that day that he did not like things that spun that fast. Especially after eating a corn dog and a giant cupcake in rapid succession. So, naturally, if Vanitas hated them, Sora loved them. The minute they finished the ride he wanted to go on them again, immediately.

“No way!! I feel sick!! Those were awful.” Vanitas was not having it. He was still a little pale and he was leaning on his dad for support. “I want a drink.” He said in a slight whine and stuck his tongue out at his younger sibling as though he’d won some sort of fight. “I’m not going on those again for nothin'.’” 

This made Sora all the more determined. He put on his best pout which didn’t amount to very much considering how happy he was and began tugging on his mom’s arm. 

“Please please please please please!!” He asked, excitedly. His mom sighed and smiled and agreed that they could meet up with Van and Dad afterwards since she didn’t mind the spinning and it was the only ride that Sora had asked to go on twice, so far. The line wasn’t long and she knew it would only get worse the later they waited. Sora was stubborn. If they didn’t go on the ride again now, he wouldn’t forget about it later.

So back in line they got. The younger boy practically running to the entrance. Sora had adopted the typical child line waiting tactic of sitting down on the lower bar that kept the line in check. So once they were at a stand still, that’s where he found himself and perhaps it was a very good thing he did.

You see, Sora remembers this day vividly, as I’ve said before. He could tell you how hot it was and what the spring breeze in warm Florida felt like and how Disney smelled like it was made of some kind of icing. He could tell you any minor or major detail you wished to know about the day in the blink of an eye. He’d be extremely accurate in doing so. 

However, this is the part of the recollection of the most important day in Sora’s life where he really get’s animated. You can see his manner shift and his eyes change to a Christmas morning excitement. The fire has been shining in his eyes since the beginning of his tale but you’ll note it glows brighter and a little warmer when he gets to this part of the story.

So perhaps it was fate that he had decided to sit on the bar during his second time waiting in line for this particular ride. Because this time when he did it, there was another boy directly ahead of him in the same line who had crawled up on the lower bar and was using it as leverage to lean over the top bar.  
 The messy haired brunette noted quickly that what this blonde boy was doing looked like much more fun than what he was currently doing. So, he quickly switched tactics and clambered up on his own section of bar. He leaned as far over as he could, making sure it was further over than the boy to his left. Then curiosity certainly got the better of him and he proclaimed loudly “Hi!! I’m Sora!! What’s your name? This is fun!! I’ve been sitting on the bar all day but this is a lot cooler. I feel like I got taller!” 

The boy, who also had bright blue eyes turned and glanced him up and down. He looked very unimpressed by the whole scene before him. His hair was shorter than Sora’s but still very messily finger combed and spiked up in blonde. He smiled in quite a knowing fashion and nodded. 

“Hi.” He said it a lot more calmly than Sora probably knew how to at all. “I figured that out the very first time I came here but my mom told me not to do it because I’d fall.” Sora suddenly looked worried before the boy snickered. “Then I kept doin’ it and she finally gave up.” 

This boy suddenly seemed to remember Sora’s introduction and backtracked quickly to account for his mistake. “Oh yeah. Hi, Sora! I’m Roxas.” He threw his hand up in the air as if to offer Sora a high five before he lost his balance and scrambled quickly to stop himself and grip the bar again. His cheeks tinged with red as though he hoped Sora hadn’t seen him do it but he smiled the entire time.

It doesn’t take a lot as a child to decide if you like someone or not. As far as Sora was concerned they had exchanged names and two or so sentences therefore now they were friends. Something about the boy reminded Sora slightly of Vanitas but without the necessity to appear cool. It would have just came naturally but there was something holding it back. Then Sora realized it was the fact that Roxas didn’t seem to mind if anyone thought he was cool or not. He had the vibes of someone who was, but in reality was just as much of a kid as Sora.

Then another thought dawned on the chocolate haired boy quickly. He hadn’t talked to any of the kids in the park all day so that meant that Roxas was his first ‘Disney friend’. Or so he considered him. Which mean that instantly Roxas was very important. Roxas might be the most important friend he’d ever make. That was that. It was decided. End of story. Done. 

Then Sora also remembered that Roxas had said he had figured the bar out the ‘very first time’. 

“Wait. Wait! So, you’ve been here before, Roxas?” Sora couldn’t believe that someone would have been to this wonderful place more than once. That was something he simply could not get his little head around. He thought this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. That they only let you in one time in your life because, to a six year old, how could anyone possibly get to experience all of this twice? Roxas nodded. 

“Yeah! I live here.” Sora proceeded to lose his mind for the…well we’ve lost count at this point how many times. Entirely too many times. He leaned up further on the bar, his jaw dropping in amazement. 

“You can live here?!” He was just about to tell his mom it was high time the family moved and he certainly didn’t mind switching schools if that meant he was to live in Magic Kingdom when Roxas laughed. 

“No no!! I don’t live here! I live sorta kinda nearby…uh. Hey mom? Where do we live again?” His mother was a tall woman with softer blue eyes and an authoritative but gentle look about her. She had noted the two boys talking to each other and had struck up a conversation with Sora’s own mother about how many people were at the park each year and how expensive the food was. Your typical parental conversation about vacations and tourist traps. 

“Ocala, hon.” She said with an amused expression. “Its about an hour or so away.” Roxas nodded as if he’d known this all along and turned back to Sora proudly. “Yeah! We live there. So we come here all the time because its my favorite place in the whole world!” 

Sora’s smile stretched wide across his features as he wiggled slightly on his perched bar. He wasn’t jealous of Roxas in the least. Just excited they had something that seemed so important in common. “This is my favorite place in the whole world, too!!” 

That was it. They talked the entire line wait about their favorite rides and what movies they liked the most and characters they’d seen. They discovered that they both loved Treasure Planet and Peter Pan but it neither were their favorite. Sora told Roxas his favorite was Hercules and Roxas’ replied that his favorite was Tarzan.

They both got very excited at the fact they were the same age and they even flipped through each others character autograph books. Sora was impressed and also a little disappointed that Roxas had a nearly full book while Sora only had a few pages filled in. Roxas assured him that he’d get them all eventually and his looked the same when he had come to Disney World for the first time, as well. That made Sora feel a little better.

When it came time to ride the tea cups the attendant said it was okay for Roxas and Sora to ride together. Sora was so excited that he and Roxas raced to the first red teacup they could find and discovered another epiphany of having the same favorite color: Red. They both spent the entire ride laughing and trying to see who could make the teacup spin faster before they began to realize there was more spinning opportunity if they worked together. 

After they had exited the ride, Roxas had his arm strung around Sora’s shoulders and was pretending to be dizzy by dragging his new friend all around the pavement in circles. Both of them were laughing while Sora tried not to fall with Roxas pressed to his side who was making loud, fake moaning noises and giggling. “Sooo muuuch spiiinnniiing.” 

Both of their mother’s were still in conversation when Vanitas, who was nearby waiting with Sora’s dad, ran forward with a bright green slushy held carefully in both hands. “Time to go, loser. I get to pick the next ride since you got to ride that one twice and I want to go to Adventureland.” 

Sora and Roxas stopped spinning and Roxas smiled brightly. “Adventureland!! My favorite ride is there. Its the Pirates of the…” He glanced up at his mom who seemed ready to finish the line for him. She paused in her conversation to smile at her son and offer him a “Caribbean, Roxas.” before being introduced to Sora’s father. 

“Yeah that. Sora, did you ride it yet?” Sora almost said yes just because he didn’t want Roxas to think he wasn’t as Disney educated as possible and he clearly didn’t want to seem uncool in front of his very first Disney friend. However, he knew Vanitas would call him out on it in a heartbeat and he also didn’t want to lie to Roxas either. “No. We were only over there for a little bit so far. Is it fun?” Roxas reared back on the balls of his feet and threw his arms in the air as if he was entirely flabbergasted by such a response. 

“Is it fun!? Its the funnest!!” “Really?!”  “Do you like pirates?” “Yeah!! Pirates like in Peter Pan?” “No, scarier and dirtier!!” “What?! Yeah!” “And sword fights? The gift shop has swords you can buy!!” “Really?! Let’s go, let’s go!”

Roxas then turned to his mother completely. “Can we go with them? Please?” Sora immediately jumped next to Roxas his hands thrown high above his head, much like the position the blonde had taken previously. 

“Yeah, please!! Please please!! Can Roxas come too?! He’s my best friend!!” Roxas nodded, determined, because clearly a ride on the Mad Tea Party tea cups was enough to solidify such a friendship. 

His mother laughed and explained to Sora’s parents that she was simply along for the ride. Roxas dragged her here every few months and she let him decide the course of action because at this point it had lost the charm for her. Sora’s parents seemed to get along well with Roxas’ mother and be glad for the company of someone who was over the age of thirteen. They all agreed and Sora and Roxas shouted excitedly and double high five-d. 

Roxas met Sora’s older brother officially after that. When Roxas commented that Vanitas’ black hair was really long compared to Sora’s and that he liked it, Vanitas shrugged and tried to play it off as though the compliment wasn’t a big deal to him. He nodded instead of saying anything and quietly drank his slushy on the walk. However, as they entered Adventureland, Vanitas got caught up in the two younger boys conversation about whether or not the Genie or Iago was funnier in Aladdin. 

Sora’s family ended up spending the entire day with Roxas and his mother. 

One of Sora’s favorite things about the park was meeting characters. If he could, he would make his group wait in line for hours for every one of them. Roxas didn’t mind because every time they met someone he’d met before he’d introduce the character to Sora like he and the Disney citizen were good friends and he was simply visiting and making the rounds, which impressed Sora immensely.

Sora’s favorite ride was Peter Pan’s Flight. Until it was it’s A Small World. Which was only until they rode the Astro Oribiter but he also really liked Big Thunder Mountain. His other favorite was the Magic Carpets and his other other favorite was Pirates of the Caribbean which Roxas said was his very top favorite (Of course, so was Stitch’s Great Escape). Sora really liked Splash Mountain until his pants got all wet at the end. Then he wasn’t so sure. He still wanted to ride it again about an hour later, though, when his pants were dry and he forgot that his pants were ever wet in the first place. 

 

Roxas made Sora ride The Haunted Mansion with him. Sora did not like this idea when it was presented to him but he didn’t want to look like he wasn’t the utmost brave in front of his new friend. Roxas said he knew where all the scarier parts of the ride were but when Sora shouted or screamed he ended up doing the same, if not louder. Vanitas got so scared at the beginning he asked to get off but then felt embarrassed and when an exit finally presented itself he said never mind and acted as though it had never occurred. Sora isn’t sure Van ever truly enjoyed the ride. Even if he would never admit that it had scared him. 

They ate a big dinner of chicken fingers at Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland before Roxas dragged Sora to meet his favorite Disney Princess. His mom explained that Roxas never came to the park without telling Belle hello. Sora was quiet for this one. He wasn’t shy or intimidated and he didn’t cry at all. However, Roxas was so polite and shy that despite only knowing him for a few short hours, it was still a sight to behold. The blonde even blushed a lot when Belle would talk to him. 

Sora and Roxas both got her autograph. They got ice cream afterwards but Roxas wouldn’t let Sora see his autograph book anymore. He finally allowed Sora to take a look at it after much insistent begging but was embarrassed as he did so. 

He had Belle’s autograph five times throughout his autograph book. Sora laughed at first, but when Roxas turned bright red and started to get upset he took a different approach and told the other boy that he thought it was really cool he’d managed to get her to sign his book so many times. 

Roxas coughed, shrugged and pushed Sora’s ice cream cone into his nose. Vanitas laughed for fifteen minutes and decided he liked Roxas very much after that. Sora made loud protesting noises while he tried to get his chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream out of his nose.

Afterwards, the sky had changed to a very dark purple as the sun began to slip below the skyline. Roxas noted this and his eyes got very wide. 

He tugged at Sora’s and Vanitas’ wrist’s and shouted abruptly  
“We have to find a good spot!! Come on, come on!!” Sora had no idea what Roxas was talking about but was smiling and eager to find out, regardless. After Roxas propelled them both forward enough to illicit a ‘slow down’ from the parents, Sora asked Roxas what was so exciting. 

“The parade, buddy! Let’s go!” 

No one had ever called Sora ‘buddy’ before and he tried not to cry about it.

They ended up cutting through Tomorrowland to find a very nice spot directly to the left of the Disney castle and Sora couldn’t stop staring at it since they were so close. Roxas sat down right on the white pavement before it turned to the dark road that made up Main Street. He crossed his legs and focused on the opposite end of main street toward where the entrance of the park was.

When Sora was finished combing the entire castle with his eyes he copied Roxas’ position with Van on the blonde’s right. Vanitas then asked about the parade to which Roxas launched into a very descriptive rant that mostly included the word ‘lights’ over and over again. As he talked, Sora took note of the crowds that had gathered around the edges of Main Street. 

They knew where to sit and to wait. Children that were Sora’s age and even younger started sitting down around the outskirts of the pavement all the way down to the park’s entrance. There wasn’t a shop front that didn’t have a giant crown in front of it. Sora had never seen so many people gathered up in one place. 

Then as the park got dark, a robot like voice filled the area. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls!!” Sora sat up, attentively and Roxas grabbed his wrist in excitement. 

“Here it comes!!” He whispered in a hushed tone as though the rest of the enormous crowd of people were not all talking over one another anyway. 

“The Magic Kingdom Proudly Presents; Our spectacular festival pageant of night time magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights and electro-magnetic musical sounds. The Main Street Electrical Parade!”

When the music started, Sora lost contact with the world around him but he was aware he jumped around a lot and shouted even more. The floats not only were covered in million of dazzling lights that lit up the park around them but every Disney character you could think of was either dancing in the street or up on the floats. Some of the floats were designed specifically for certain movies and against the darkening sky the sight was stunning. A few of the Disney heroes and princesses even waved to him. Sora was completely dazzled while Roxas continued to hold his wrist the entire time and shout character names. The lights were amazing and Sora wanted to jump right into the parade and join the fun.

After the parade had cleared its way through, there were the fireworks above the Disney Castle. For Sora, this was a different tone than the parade had been. The normally very talkative brunette was completely silent. That is, until, he started crying somewhere around When You Wish Upon A Star began to play. 

After he did begin to let tears fall out of his eyes, he remembered that Roxas was standing quite close to him and suddenly felt embarrassed. Vanitas was always telling Sora to stop being such a cry baby. He certainly couldn’t allow the blonde to see him in such a state. He glanced at Roxas to find, however, that his new friend was crying too. Quieter than Sora was, but still crying. He’d find out later that Roxas always cried at the fireworks. It was the only time he really ever did cry.

The display was nothing short of spectacular. Both Vanitas and Sora had seen fireworks before, however not like this. This was another level that store bought park fireworks on the Fourth of July couldn’t begin to compare to. There were no words to describe the booming sensations in your chest or the glittering back drop of the Disney Castle and rides that would light up against the skyline with each shattering bang and boom. The fireworks were set to go off to the Disney music that played around them for added effect. 

Sora would see this fireworks display several times more in his life, however he’d never be as quiet as he was during that fateful first time. He would always cry.

Unfortunately, as all wonderful and even magical moments go, things eventually came to an end. Sora still wasn’t processing the inevitability of ‘the end’ so as he followed the throngs of people making their way not without difficulty toward the exit of the park he chatted animatedly with Roxas. They talked of the parade, mostly, and how Roxas told both Sora and Vanitas that during Halloween it was completely different. 

He had just reached news that the lost boys came out during Halloween, which Sora found very relevant to his interests, when all three boys seemed to realize their destination at the same time. Somehow they had followed the crowd of people, parents in the lead, to the very beginning of Mainstreet. Sora didn’t need Roxas’ extensive knowledge of the theme park to know what this meant. They both knew.

Sora felt his heart do somewhat of a flying leap and nose dive straight into the pool of his stomach. He would blame it on his chicken tenders and very large ice cream sundae, however, he wasn’t ready to leave. He had no idea when he’d be back here, if ever, and he’d just met his new very best friend who would not be going home with him. The parents had stopped and were exchanging chatter while Sora and Roxas exchanged an awkward silence. 

Vanitas, however, seemed prepared as he shrugged and shoved Roxas’ shoulder with his own.    
“You’re okay, I guess. I wish you could be around more so you could shove ice-cream into Sora’s face more often.” Sora pouted and felt his tanned cheeks turn a shade of red while Roxas laughed and the awkward goodbye that was trying to rear its head balked a bit. 

“Shut up, Van!! I got it all out! See!!” The younger boy lifted his chin so as to show off the inside of his nose. Vanitas grinned a very concerning grin and shook his head at his younger sibling.  “Nah. Looks to me like you’ve got an entire piece of cookie dough up there.” Sora almost believed him and the look on his face made Roxas laugh again before the brunette realized it was a joke and scoffed. He crossed his arms and made a face for a full thirty seconds before he, too, began to laugh.  
Vanitas was only eleven but he seemed to have sensed the two boys needed to say goodbyes without him awkwardly hanging about so he proceeded to join the parents. He held his mothers hand in a very upstanding and mature fashion if he did say so himself.

Sora let his stomach settle with the bubbling laughter it had displayed before he finally looked back to his new friend with a very large smile. 

“Thanks for showing me all the cool stuff here! It wouldn’t have been as…well I mean it still would have been really fun but you made it even more fun!!” He said all of this in almost more of an animated demeanor than was usual. It was as though he had to get it all out in one breath before he could no longer speak. Roxas replied with a shrug and a small smile. He seemed complacent, almost. The excitement over Disney leaving him abruptly and finding itself replaced with less magical thoughts.

“Yeah, whatever. I mean, I come here all the time so its as a lot more fun to get to show someone else all the cool stuff.” The parents were still talking and Roxas shifted his weight back and forth on the balls of his feet. It wasn’t as awkward as it was nervous. 

“Hey, Sora?”  


“Hm?” “  


Did you mean what you said before?”  


 “Before what?”   


“You know!! At the teacups!!”  
 

Sora blinked his bright blue eyes and scanned them carefully over Roxas’ own. He had said a lot of things that day but one thing was for sure, he knew he meant it all. Okay, well maybe he hadn’t meant it when he’d told Vanitas he hated him for tripping him on the way through Frontierland. However, today had been the best day of Sora’s life and if he’d meant anything he ever said today was probably the day he was the most genuine he’d ever been. So, he nodded but also shrugged before he spoke again.

“Yeah. Of course! What did I say?” he asked, contradicting himself perfectly, as younger children will do. When you get older you contradict yourself to be ironic or sarcastic but as a child it just comes out simple and straightforward.

“When you said I was your best friend.” replied Roxas quietly and controlled, licking his lips while staring reproachfully down at his dirty shoelaces. Realization dawned spectacularly across Sora’s face and his eyes lit up not unlike the fireworks display the two had just shared together. He nodded vigorously, wild brown hair bouncing about, before he replied.

“Yes!! Yeah! Absolutely!!” he shouted and Roxas’ smile was as wide as Sora’s eyes were bright. 

“Okay, good. That means you’re my first.” The blonde said it with confidence as though he were stating a very important fact that he’d make sure never to forget. Then he lifted his hand to smack Sora on the shoulder, happily. Sora didn’t understand as a child that this meant that Roxas didn’t have a lot of friends and he certainly did not have a best friend. Sora was the first to consider him as such. This made this type of exchange extremely important to Roxas.

The parents finally stopped their conversations and had exchanged goodbyes. Roxas’ mother apologetically smiled at the two and held her hand out for her son. She knew he’d made a friend and that leaving was not going to be on his itinerary but they could not live at the park or with Sora’s family, much to what she knew would be Roxas’ protests.

“Time to go, Rox. Did you say goodbye to Sora?” Roxas glanced from his mother to Sora and a very distinct pout formed across his features. He glared at the over walked pavement, surprisingly spotless for the millions of visitors it saw in a day, and grumbled quietly some indiscernible nonsense before he allowed his voice to get loud enough to get his point across.

“I don’t want to say goodbye to Sora. He’s my best friend.” This, was the icing in the cake for Sora, who immediately jumped to his particular best friends defense. 

“That’s right!! We’re best friends now, Mrs. Roxas’ Mom and he can’t go!! I mean, we’ve known each other for a whole day in Disney World!! We had a bunch of adventures and I - well I mean…We’re best friends!” Rationally, even at age six, Sora was aware that Roxas had to go eventually. But also, as a six year old, he wasn’t thinking about it enough to acknowledge it entirely. It was put to the back of his mind and willingly forgotten. Something could surely be worked out that kept this other disney loving, blonde boy in his life. 

Before Roxas’ mom could calmly explain some very sensible advice to her son, Sora’s dad cleared his throat, which made Roxas himself jump. Sora recognized that sound though. It wasn’t the throat clearing his dad would preform when Sora and Vanitas were being exceedingly loud or obnoxious and needed to quiet down and it wasn’t the throat clearing that warranted a very long speech about manners and when it was appropriate to use them. It was the throat clearing of interrupting a conversation that was not going someone’s way to offer up a compromise. This kind of sound, Sora tuned into. 

“Well, boys. It seems like you might need to find a way to talk to each other from all the way across the miles.” The man smiled, running a hand through his hair. “You know, Sora. I would say give Roxas our phone number but I can’t seem to remember it. Maybe you can?” 

Sora lit up again. His parents had been trying, with difficulty, to have Sora learn their phone number by heart. He would get the first few digits and then get bored with the exercise of recalling it and move on to the next thing. He never got passed the fifth number and sometimes he flopped the first for the second. Roxas instantly threw his hands up in the air. 

“S o r aaaa!” He dragged out every syllable in the boys name and practically wiggled in his position on the street. “You gotta tell it to me so I can call you and we can talk all the time!! I’ll even tell you all about Disney the very next time I go and maybe you can talk to my cat on the phone!” 

Sora was absolutely delighted by this idea but before he could respond he had something very important to do. He scrunched up his face and touched one of the spikier and messier areas of his hair with two careful fingers. 

“Uhm…” You could tell he was thinking very hard and everyone was quiet while he did so, his dad smiling as though he was very proud of himself. Sora knew this was very important because if he didn’t remember all the numbers correctly then he might never get to talk to his very best friend again and then what? His life practically depended on this arrangement of numbers being meticulously precise. 

He recited the first three numbers very slowly and Roxas waited with bated breath as though Sora was about to unleash to him the very combination of numbers that would crack the President’s vault in the White House. They’d steal all the important documents and make off with roughly a million dollars before leaving no trace nor indication they ever were in the vicinity. Of course Roxas was paying attention. This was sensitive stuff, obviously. 

“814…43…” Sora paused, this was always where he got tripped up, however no one had stopped him yet so he must not have done anything wrong. He continued. “814…43…7…88…” 

He paused again and then suddenly he dropped his hands to his sides before throwing them up over his head and smiling from ear to ear. “814-434-788…” He was so close. Why couldn’t he remember the last number? His smile fell and blinked, fear imminent in his eyes. Roxas couldn’t call him if he didn’t have all the numbers. It wouldn’t matter that he had the first ones right. 

Nobody was helping him. Sora felt like everyone was staring at him and he had absolutely no idea what the last number was. He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt and bit his lip, clearly about to give up hope and possibly existing altogether. 

“Six.” 

Vanitas didn’t look up from the balloon cart he was eyeing nearby and he didn’t let go of his mother’s hand either. “It’s 814-434-7886. Duh, Sora.” Despite all the pillow fights, noogies and tattle tale-ing that Sora had been through courtesy of Vanitas, in that moment, he could have given his brother the entire ice cream gift card Sora had received on his birthday the previous year. Free of chore trading charges.

Roxas shouted he was so excited, despite the fact he had not written the number down nor had any other means of remembering it. The parents would exchange proper information for their young son’s sake before they parted ways. However, Sora’s dad looked rather proud of himself, even if Vanitas had finished it for him. Sora would never forget his phone number again. 

After the promise of a less permanent goodbye, things went smoother. Roxas and Sora exchanged real goodbyes and real hugs and promised to call each other as soon as possible. For Sora, as soon as he got to the hotel and for Roxas, as soon as he got home. Of course they wouldn’t make it that far. Sora would fall asleep on the monorail ride back to his hotel and groggily be tucked in by his mother. Roxas would collapse on his bed the minute his feet hit his hardwood floor and that would just be the end of it.

Dreams of Disney and characters come to life and some of the best ice cream that money can buy would keep the two busy in dreamland for many nights after. However, Sora would never forget Roxas and Roxas would never forget Sora.

Especially since Sora had meant what he’d said at the teacups and the main gate just before they had parted ways. Sora was very big, even as he got older, on promises and saying what you meant. He never went back on his word if he could help it and he certainly would never go back on this. 

Despite distance, those words from Sora’s six year old self never did falter. 

Twelve years later, Roxas was still Sora’s very best friend.


	2. Dead of July

Roxas had not taken note that every day in the relatively hot Florida sun was usually interrupted some time in the afternoon by a series of nasty looking clouds. Said nasty looking clouds usually dumped a rather disagreeable amount of water from their collective persons onto the city and perhaps entire state; unapologetically. This, however, lasted for about twenty minutes before ending abruptly and the sun continuing to shine as if it had never shown the slightest bit of uncooperative rambunctiousness. 

Roxas did not notice that this happened almost every day in the state because he was so used to it. However, if he took the time to think about it he would probably have a better area to direct his outright annoyance at the humidity. Roxas absolutely hated the muggy, hot weariness that the area’s undertone weather caused despite having lived here his entire life. He made sure to proclaim this distaste loudly and often and usually to his best friend, Sora.

The blonde was lying on his back, not a cloud in the sky, for Florida had already deposited its daily bucket of sporadic rain. He was sprawled out on a worn out bench at a local park not far from his home. His mother had, once again, insisted he go outside and ‘make friends.’ She was always on his case about that lately. He had never had a very large number of friends. Roxas only really considered one person his friend and that boy lived some unidentifiable amount of miles up to the top of the east coast. He could probably get an accurate summary of the miles if he took the time to put it into Google maps or something but honestly, why get more depressed? 

Roxas had no intention to make friends on this particular day, despite whatever he’d told his mother. He didn’t have any intention to even speak to anyone unless the old man near the corner gas station made a nasty comment about skateboarders ruining society and loitering in his store. Even then he’d probably simply offer a middle finger after paying for his ice cream (Strawberry Shortcake bar today). Roxas was a regular in this gas station and he’d only stolen something once when he was ten. Not that anyone had noticed the candy bar shoved hastily under his sweatshirt. He could have paid for it too. He just wanted to see if he could get away with it.

The bad rep that a skateboard tucked under your arm got you in Florida these days was appalling. What was this country coming to?

It was a typical ninety some degree day. The heat was shimmering off the ground in slow waves and Roxas felt sluggish and, as usual, annoyed at the humidity. He was lying on his back with his skateboard across his chest and a hand thrown over his forehead, checkered wrist band in its usual place on his left wrist. He was thinking about another ice cream run (His third today) when a loud buzzing in his ear interrupted him for the third time that late summer afternoon. 

“Are you even listening to me, Rox?” 

Roxas grunted in response through the mouthpiece of his cell phone with a varied degree of interest. He shrugged at the boy on the other end but realizing that Sora could not see this action, sighed instead. He always forgot that when he talked to the loud brunette he had to make sure that his phone volume was down.  
  


”Mostly.” He said with a small smile. “Repeat.”

A very disgruntled Sora gave a long winded and exaggerated sigh over the phone. “I said, my brother is bugging me about school again! I’m telling you, man, if he would take a minute to breathe the entire house would less stressed out, you feel me?”

Roxas smiled and closed his blue eyes with another shrug. “You know Vanitas never calms down about much of anything. Tell him to take a fucking chill pill and watch The Lion King.” He paused and dragged his hand across his slightly sweaty forehead. “What is it this time? Still stressing about your illustrious college career path?” 

Sora’s older brother, Vanitas, was a straight A, honor roll mortuary student. The soon to be graduate was facing the fact that his younger brother had not decided to attend something in the medical or science field. Sora had other, more spontaneous and dream filled plans. This was the cause of 90% of Vanitas Marino’s stress.

“Well, yeah. He’s home for the summer and he corners me every time he sees me to talk about weird statistics for medical students. Can you see me as a doctor, Roxas?” Sora moaned over the phone. “Because I can’t!” 

The blonde boy smirked and chuckled while he cradled the phone against his ear with his shoulder. The buzzing of summer cicadas and the shouts from some kids playing frisbee nearby echoed across the palm trees in the park. Roxas picked at a scab on his right arm as he responded. 

“If you become a doctor you aren’t getting anywhere near me. I don’t care what kind of discounts you’re dishing out for friends and family, either.” He paused to flick his newly picked scab across the pavement. He then chuckled before Sora had the chance to respond. “Doctor S. Marino, P.H.D., Pig Headed Dumbass.”

Sora scoffed and Roxas could practically hear him rolling his eyes over his iphone. “Come on, Roxas. You don’t go to the doctors even when you need it. Remember when you broke your ribs at the skatepark and you still refused to go?”

“They won’t do anything for broken ribs but wrap them, Sora! I told you that. There wasn’t any point. Anyway, I didn’t die, if you can recall.”

“Are you sure? I’ll bet you’ve got dead looking bags under your eyes right now, considering you never sleep, Roxas.”

“Maybe. Besides, even if they had wrapped them nobody could draw on them like they did with my cast. Olette drew the best Morph in sharpie. I still have have the cut out.” 

“You’re an idiot, Roxas.” 

Sora said his name a lot. Roxas only noticed it once in awhile when he was particularly tuned in to the conversation. It wasn’t a detail that stuck with him though. He forgot it soon after only to rediscover it at a later date. Sora must’ve liked his name or something. Thought that the way forming out the R and X felt right. Maybe that was just what best friends did. Roxas didn’t say Sora’s name as often or so he thought. He never asked the brunette why he did that, either.

“Anyhow.” Roxas said, changing the subject. “Vanitas is going to keep that shit up long after you’ve gone into your major, dude. I promise. You’re just going to have to duck when you see him coming and put on your poker face when you don’t see him coming.” He stretched slightly on his park bench and wondered what his mother would say if she knew his going out to make friends meant continuing to talk to Sora, his current and only friend.

“He’s just so adamant that I’m making the wrong decision…” Sora grumbled across the phones technical connection. The blonde could practically see him, slouching back in his desk chair and staring at his glow in the dark star adorned ceiling. Red and blue themed room like he was still seven and vintage Mickey Mouse framed posters against the left wall. What an idiot, though, Roxas would think it fondly. 

“Well you did tell him that you wanted to work at Disney World as your end goal. You didn’t give him more than that either, dude.” 

It was true. Sora had made the decision that working at Disney World was all he ever wanted or would need in life. When he made this decision and presented it to his family he did not give specifics or have a certain job in mind. He just wanted to be employed by Disney. As far as Sora’s family knew he could have the idea of being a ride tester in his distracted mind. 

“Don’t act like you didn’t have a foot in that, genius.” Sora spouted excitedly with a grin to his voice. “You’re going to work there too, remember? We have a plan!” Roxas chuckled. Sora’s blue eyes would be lighting up and he’d be gesturing wildly. Even in the hot Florida sun, Roxas’ brain wasn’t frying enough to not picture the brunette a million miles away. Messy and overgrown chocolate brown hair and bright, deep blue, distracted eyes.

“True, but I never said it was my end goal. Internship, right?” Roxas took his lighter out of his pocket while continuing to lay down and fished around in his cargo shorts for his cigarettes with a shrug.  


”I can’t believe your mom bought that.”

“Whatever. I never did say it was my career path, did I? Not even to you!”

“Well what else are you going to do? You’re not good at a whole lot, Roxas.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Thanks a lot, Sora.”  


”You’re good at eating ice cream and skateboarding. I think. I’ve only ever seen you fall off and flip it around with your feet.” Roxas paused to light up his cigarette quietly, taking a drag off of it before he responded to Sora’s accusation.

“Whatever. It wasn’t my fault your brother’s skateboard had loose trucks!”

Sora laughed. “You’re loose in the head.”

Roxas groaned and sat up, effectively knocking said skateboard off his chest and into his lap. He stretched and shook his head, a smile forming delicately on his lips as he took another drag off of his cigarette. “Whatever. Skating is basically… falling with style.” 

“Toy Story!” Sora shouted effectively making Roxas jump from the loud noise. He knew Sora would catch that reference a mile away and chuckled with a shake of his blonde head. He swung his legs around to let his feet fall back on the harsh pavement and tilted his head up to grimace slightly at the sun. 

How could Roxas ever forget the promise and plan made between Sora and him at the start of summer? It seemed like ages ago but Roxas knew that even if it was, in fact, ages ago, he’d never forget it.

Roxas had made that promise with Sora in person, after his graduation party the one and only time that the blonde had ever visited him in his home state of New Jersey. When both boys turned eighteen and Sora’s graduation party was in full swing at his house, the brunette got a jaw dropping surprise. 

A very disgruntled and jet lagged Roxas clambered out of Sora’s father’s black suburban toting what looked to be his entire closet and possibly his entire room for a week long stay at his best friend's. He had decided he hated airplanes and that little kids should not be allowed to sit with normally functioning teenagers and adults if they were going to kick the seat. He also thought airplanes smelled like ‘sick’. Whatever that was. Roxas said it was the equivalent of a hospital smell. 

Then he saw Sora and all his previous annoyance and exhaustion melted into a state of pure adrenaline. 

Sora had yelled so loudly that he alerted the entire party, ran at Roxas and toppled both the boy and his several articles of luggage to the ground. Roxas wasn’t even the slightest bit upset at this sudden rush of human contact. Sora, still on top of him, tugged carefully at his cheeks until the blonde shouted in pain and Sora proclaimed loudly “You’re really here!!”

Roxas spent the summer week at Sora’s and not only did he get to see where his best friend lived and grew up but he enjoyed the less harsh weather of Florida considerably. Plus, he got to meet all of Sora’s friends in one go at the party. Tidus, Wakka, Selphie and Garnet were really outdoorsy and into sports and going to the beach a lot. They were very fun and they got along with Sora well. Then again, thought Roxas, who wouldn’t get along with Sora really well?

It was five o clock in the morning and all the friends that had decided to spend the night at Sora’s were settled down in the finished basement. Sora, who was slightly buzzed from some of the alcohol his parents had let him have, had decided he wanted to sleep in his bed. Roxas, who was occupying the floor in Sora’s room for the week, had opted instead to avoid the alcohol so he could watch Sora stumble all over himself. (Which was quite a feat, considering Roxas’ Irish family knew how to drink.) It was worth it. 

They were discussing things like the future and how weird it was to be done with high school. What they would miss and not miss. Sometimes they were nostalgic; or Sora was. Roxas would begin to get there and then backtrack out of embarrassment to say he hated whatever he was reminiscing about. He kept telling Sora “Shut up, dude. You sound like an old man.”

Sora tried to get Roxas to sing a High School Musical song with him and that was where the blonde drew the line.

Somehow, they ended up on the subject of college. Roxas got quiet and picked at his friends grey carpet with a shrug. “I mean, I don’t really know what I want to do. Honestly, whats the point? Spending that kind of money stresses me the fuck out.” Roxas swore like a sailor, ironically, because Sora’s family swore the same way. Sora, however, rarely swore. Roxas’ own mother never swore and yet he cursed like he depended on the word ‘fuck’ for oxygen. 

“Yeah but …I don’t know what your mom thinks but my parents would never let me skip out on college. Even if I wanted to, I dunno, own a movie theatre?” Sora was sprawled out on his stomach, his arm swaying lazily over the side of his red sheets staring at Roxas but not really looking at him. 

“Sora what the fuck do you want to own a movie theatre for?” Roxas asked, a small grin forming across his features in the dark, illuminated just so by Sora’s glow in the dark stars and the same Tinkerbell night light he’d had in his bathroom since he was eight.

“I don’t know, Rox! It just an example. I mean, like…What if I just showed Disney movies all day? What about that?”  


Roxas laughed and put his arm over his eyes with a snort. “You’d only show Treasure Planet and Hercules so I’d be your only customer.” 

Sora pouted and shook his head, also giggling quietly. “Would not. I’d show Frozen.”

“In that case you’d have no customers because I’d never come.”

“Shut up. You can keep pretending you hated that movie but I know you know all the words to all the songs and saw it twice.” 

“That…is totally not based on any kind of fucking fact.”

“Yeah it is. Its based on the Roxas and Sora talking on the phone facts which are indisputable and very important facts.”

“How do you even know the word indisputable? Your vocabulary isn’t that articulate.”

“You’re not that articulate.”

“Yeah I am. I just said articulate.”

They were still chuckling when they finished and the conversation began to die down. They were quiet for awhile. Roxas was nearly asleep. He’d been up all night and he was ready to grab some shut eye for a few hours before, inevitably, Sora’s mom would wake everyone to pancakes. Roxas was in it for the pancakes. 

He was just about asleep when instead Sora shouted so loud that he made Roxas jump and sit up to yell back at his best friend. “What the ever loving fuck, Sora?!” Sora was also sitting up, though. His eyes were bright and he looked like a poor kid who had just won some sort of monetary prize. 

“What?” Roxas repeated, quieter and looking his best friend up and down, concerned. Obviously Sora had finally lost his mind.

He turned to Roxas and threw the covers off of him to sit at the edge of his bed. “Okay, listen!!” Roxas didn't reply, just stared at Sora like he was off his rocker. “But…what if…Roxas what if we worked somewhere we both love? Somewhere we make a lot of money but we love every second of it?!!”

Roxas was now looking annoyed. It was nearly six in the morning and he hadn’t slept a single second. All the sweets he’d eaten were catching up to him and he wanted a cup of coffee and a cigarette really bad. “Sora, are you still fucking drunk?” He sighed and punched his pillow, about to lay back down and let the brunette have his strange early morning breakdown alone when Sora replied and was almost more animated than he had been previously.

“No, no listen!! Roxas, you gotta hear me out.” Sora scooted even further off the edge of his bed hunched over the corner of it like a very excited gargoyle with messy bed head. Any closer to the edge and he’d be on top of Roxas. In order to avoid a collision, the blonde decided to at least appear attentive to Sora’s wild eyes and flailing hands.

“Spit it out, Sora because, honestly, yeah. I think thats kind of the end goal. That’s pretty much what everyone wants, isn't it? To work somewhere with steady pay and be stoked to be there. Actually I’ll take steady pay and the feeling of not wanting to fling myself off the nearest building or put my head in the deep fryer. Thats acceptable. I’ll even take that.”

Sora was grinning now. Ear to ear as whatever plan worked itself out in his messy haired head. “Roxas, what if we worked at Disney World?” 

When he finally spouted the idea into the open and laid it on the table for Roxas to contemplate, it genuinely took the boy a second. In his defense, it was now nearly six in the morning and the sun was rising steadily over the suburban neighborhood. Birds were beginning to wake and serenade the morning and Roxas was, as we’ve established, exhausted.

When his frazzled brain finally did catch up with the conversation he registered why Sora looked like he was about to explode waiting for Roxas’ reaction. His blue eyes grew wide and he bit his lip to stop the smile that was creeping onto his face. “We…Sora we can’t just…What? You move to Florida and we both…” Then he also realized that they could. They’d just graduated high school. They could do anything they wanted. Within reason, of course. That seemed to be in reason.

Sora was dead quiet while he waited for Roxas to respond. 

“Shit…” Roxas decided in that moment that if Sora was already losing his mind it was perfectly okay for him to lose his too. “…Fuck…I’m in.” Roxas paused and a full smile formed across his pale lips as he fully registered this idea. “I’m all in!” 

With their newfound energy from the excitement the two boys spent the next hours researching Disney World employment on Sora’s laptop and talking about being characters or even minor jobs like handing out Dilly bars to little kids. (Roxas was addicted to ice cream so this appealed to him greatly.) They talked about which park they would want to work in (Both said Magic Kingdom, of course.) and where they’d live. Roxas said Sora could just live at his house but Sora wanted an apartment with a porch and a big kitchen with giant windows.

Sora said Roxas wouldn’t be allowed to skateboard on their hard wood floors and Roxas grumbled for awhile about that. Sora wanted to be in the Fantasy Parade but Roxas wanted to work a coaster such as Space Mountain or The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train that had opened up recently. 

They talked about this for hours until Sora’s mom came in to wake them for breakfast, only to find they had never slept. Not that Vivian was too surprised by this discovery. 

Roxas and Sora both had a very eventful week spent together. They went swimming at the beach (Which is where Roxas discovered that New Jersey beach water was freezing compared to Florida bath water but in the end he didn’t much care for either) and to the local arcade. Sora even took Roxas to a nearby amusement park and a day trip to see the sighst in New York City. Most of their down time though, which consisted a lot of Sora beating Roxas at video games, was planning a future where they worked at Walt Disney World. 

This, in turn, was how they discovered that Disney World offered a College Program. The College Program was considered a paid internship for anyone who qualified to live in apartment style dorms and work at the park to anywhere from one semester to a year. The job scored them college credit and still had a bit of a paycheck coming in. Anyone who lived in the United States, attended college and had a relatively good GPA was qualified.

Sora and Roxas shot through the roof at this information. 

The only catch was that they both had to attend college for at least a semester and go through an interview process. Which, since they both planned on attending some form of college already, the first part was easy.

Before Roxas left at the end of the week to return to Florida, both Sora and the blonde made a promise to each other. They promised to work as hard as they could to raise their GPAs and fly through the interview process in the next months. With a little hard work, they would both be working at Disney World in the spring semester. 

When Sora dropped Roxas at the airport he cried. This came as no surprise to anyone because Sora was still an easy crier. However, he didn’t want to appear as such to Roxas (Who already knew this anyhow…) so he punched his best friend so hard in the arm he left a bruise. Roxas had nearly doubled over from the pain. What a heartwarming goodbye, Roxas would remember less fondly. In the end, Sora cried regardless. 

From then on, if someone asked Sora what he was doing with his life he’d simply respond that he was going to work for Disney World with his best friend. People usually didn’t know how to respond to this. Both boys were determined, however. No amount of lectures or advice could sway them in the matter. As far as Sora was concerned this was the most important goal he had ever set for himself. 

As far as Roxas was concerned he had made a promise to his best friend. That was enough.

“Anyhow, I guess there isn’t any chance of you visiting before classes start, huh?” Roxas asked, kicking his legs out and stretching on the run down park bench. The smell of stale sea air and second hand smoke hitting his nose. Roxas lived a good two hours from the beach but he swore the smell followed you everywhere in one form or another. 

Both he and Sora started college in less than a month. They had a semester to go through before Disney would consider them for their internship program. Roxas was hoping he could get Sora to visit before then, however he had his doubts the Marino’s weren’t planning a vacation this late in the summer when they’d already been down there weeks prior. 

Both of them saw each other rather often for two kids who lived on opposite ends of the nation. They had their parents and the coincidental and convenient location of Walt Disney World’s Resort to thank. Sora visited in the summer when his family vacation was usually planned. Roxas made sure to plan a trip to Disney World the same time that the Marino family would be in attendance. 

A very exasperated sigh came from over the phone. “No. Mom’s been really uptight lately. Van say’s its because she’s going to have two boys in college instead of just one which means all her kids grew up or something.” Roxas could hear Sora’s squeaky desk chair wheels resisting the rug as he pushed back. “But, like, I’m still living here so I don’t know why she’s so upset! Most kids go to school and empty their rooms out and then the parents have to look at it. I mean until they decide they’ve looked at it long enough and it gets turned into a sewing room or whatever.”

The blonde didn’t respond right away and opted for another inhale of his nicotine. The thought of his mom turning his room into a sewing area made him a little nauseous. Not that he’d ever admit that. His mom and him were very close. She probably wouldn’t do that anyways. At least not right away… “Hey, she didn’t turn Van’s room into a sewing room, right?” Roxas offered. 

Sora scoffed. “No. Dad turned it into a second office. He hides in their when Van’s home from school and the house gets too loud. Van sleeps in the basement, usually. Then again, he’s getting an apartment with a friend soon, I think so I don't know how often he'll visit. No more getting kicked out of the dorms during breaks.” 

A loud beep in Roxas’ ear that Sora couldn’t hear, startled Roxas. He pulled back his phone to check the screen. He had a text from his mom to come home. His cousin was coming in today and it seemed he’d be arriving soon. He also glanced at the time stamp that was counting down the minutes, or in this case hours, that he had been talking to Sora.

Four hours. Not even close to their record. 

“Hey, man.” He offered, putting the phone back up to his ear. “I would love to continue to debate ridiculous sewing room, dad office space bullshit with you. Really. Because it is bullshit. Getting nostalgic and having feelings about parents gutting my personal space like I never mattered for eighteen years is my favorite past time but Ven just got to my mom’s and I have to head back.”

Sora groaned in response to this. “Can’t he catch up with your mom first?” 

“Maybe but I’m not home.”

Sora blew air out of his mouth. He didn’t sigh. It sounded more like a half drawn out raspberry. “Where the heck are you? All this time I thought you were in your stupid room.” 

“I’m out. It’s none of your business, idiot. And my room isn’t stupid! Either way, I have to go home and we both know I suck at talking on the phone and skating at the same time.” Roxas pushed himself up from the bench and tossed his board to the ground, placing a foot on it, but not putting his weight down just yet. Over the phone, Sora laughed.

“We both know you suck at skateboarding in general. Don’t blame the phone, Roxas!” 

”Shutup, Sora!” Despite his words, Roxas smiled and gave a shrug. “I’ll talk to you later. Probably tonight.” Sora grinned on the other end of the line. Roxas could practically hear it happening.

”Talk to you in the next five minutes, actually. You know I’m gonna text you.” 

“You’re lucky I have a good data plan. Later, loser.”

“Five minutes, Roxas.” 

The blonde jammed the end call button of his cracked screen with his thumb and rolled his eyes, a smile in place upon his lips. Sora was such an idiot. Though he knew his threat of five minutes wasn’t empty. He’d text the blonde. Probably to the second. Sora seemed to think this was hilarious. He’d been doing it for years.

Roxas stood and stretched as he dumped his cell phone into his back pocket and ran a hand through his messy hair. He knew he’d see Sora sooner than later. They’d both be going to Disney World again in a few months time, only this time not as vacation patrons. They would be working there.

This, of course, made Sora much more excited than Roxas himself. Roxas figured that a job was still a job. Even if it was at the most magical place on earth. He had worked at the local fast food place his sophomore and junior years of high school and had hated every second of it. He figured Disney World was going to be similar to that but on a much larger scale. Then again, his cousin always said he was cynical. Maybe he should try and stop that. It wasn’t as though he didn’t adore Disney and he got free passes for working there.

Roxas took the last drag of his declining cigarette before flicking it to the ground and praying he didn’t smell too much like smoke for his mom to bring it up. Of course, he usually just blamed it on his friend Hayner.

He pushed off from the ground to get his skateboard up and running and angled himself out of the park and toward home. Roxas ollied off and on to the side of curbs and over cracks as he went, stumbling here and there but mostly keeping his balance. He skated past the laundromat and the movie theatre and plenty of places to eat as he went. He’d been skating past these places for most of his life.

Four minutes down the road and his phone buzzed again. Sora. The only thing he said was ‘Ha!’. Roxas rolled his eyes. Five minutes.

The blonde had grown up his whole life in Florida. In a smaller town called Lyrik to be more specific. It was close to Ocala and about two hours from Orlando. It consisted of what the blonde described as ‘houses on top of houses on top of palm trees on top of houses.’ He didn’t particularly like Florida, although he had nothing to compare it to. Everywhere just seemed more tolerable than being this close to the equator. 

He hated that Florida was a giant sandbar and he hated that the grass didn’t grow the way it did at Sora’s house. Soft and dark green and generally enjoyable to lounge about in. Here, it grew rough and yellow and was usually covered in small hills of fire ants. If you left the house without shoes on you were basically asking to be shouting in pain for three days. Not an enjoyable experience at all.

In a small house with spaced out neighbors and plenty of yard, Roxas lived with only his mother and, occasionally, his cousin, Ventus.

Roxas’ father had left them when the he was three. He couldn’t remember much of him other than the shouting match both his mother and him had the night he’d left. Roxas will tell Sora he’s glad that his father left because if he did leave he must not have been a very good father in the first place. 

Not that the boy will tell anyone why a tattered picture of his father playing a Gibson guitar on the back of a beat up old Ford pickup is pinned carefully to the cork board in Roxas’ room. His dad played guitar. Roxas hated the guitar. He spit on the ground at the mention of rock stars who favored it.

 

The blonde propelled him and his skateboard down a back road and through a small neighborhood. He passed through the neighborhood and stopped at a yard. He flipped his skateboard up in his hands with one foot and took the rest of the journey home through the grass. He skipped through multiple people’s yards and prayed nobody would bother him. 

Roxas was accustomed to breaking the rules but what he didn’t want anyone to know was he worried about it and had anxieties over it the entire time. If someone ever did come out of a house to tell him to get out of their yard he’d probably turn bright red and mutter a hundred apologies. After all, there was no one to impress. He’d curse the owner of the yard and talk about how stupid it was that someone couldn’t walk through someone else's yard after he was home and behind closed doors.

After awhile of dodging through empty yards he finally climbed up the driveway to his home, throwing his skateboard back down the minute he hit concrete and pushing himself into the open garage. He took off his shoes at the door and slipped inside. 

Roxas didn’t have a very large house. It was a one story, three bedroom. The front door led directly into the living room. Past the living room there was an eating area for the kitchen table and a sliding glass door that led to the small concrete patch of back porch they had. Next to the eating area was the kitchen. Standard, as most kitchens go with a very small snack bar on the other side of the sink. 

If you turned left before the eating area there was a hallway that led to three bedrooms. Roxas’ room, the guest room and the master bedroom that was his mothers. 

Speaking of his mother, she was in the kitchen. She was making something smelled like chicken and green beans. Roxas knew this smell instinctively because his mother made that dish a lot. When she was home at least which, if Roxas was being honest, was not very often. 

“Hey, mom.” Roxas offered as he leaned his skateboard against the kitchen table. She turned slightly and her green eyes met the board itself. She gave him a ‘you know better’ smile before turning back to whatever happened to be on the stove. Roxas picked his skateboard back up with a shrug.

“Hey, hon. Thanks for coming home. Did you see your friends?” 

Roxas held himself back from sighing. It was a wonder she hadn’t offered Hayner to move in. Apparently his mother thought that the relationship he had with Sora was all well and good but he needed to physically have those kind of ties or he wasn’t healthy. It was what Roxas referred to as ‘Backwards Parent Bullshit’. As if they needed to all follow some sort of handbook step by step or they were doing it wrong.

“No, mom. They’re, uh, busy today. You know…Olette has that summer internship and Pence is spending time with his uncle in Georgia. Hayner is…Hayner. I just skated around for a little. I’m trying something new anyways.” 

He would trade a friend interrogation for a skateboard lecture any day, honestly. Which of course, she quickly launched into. The typical ‘why do you kids ride those dangerous things.’ rant to which, Roxas nodded in time and shrugged with a sheepish grin. It was all he ever offered her when she did this. At least it provided a good distraction from his lack of ‘healthy friendships’.

This particular rant always finished with a sigh and a well placed “Well, I suppose there are worse things you could be doing.” 

“Could be selling drugs.” Roxas said, offhandedly as he removed his skateboard from the edge of the table. “Could be making money selling drugs, though.”

His mother shot him a look of outrage, brandishing a wooden spatula before she sighed and squared her shoulders. She knew her son was joking but it never stopped her from getting tense. Roxas just smiled. He liked to push her buttons and she responded in a way that Roxas knew, as her son, was endearing. 

Lorelai Keating worked as a pharmaceutical technician at a company about a half an hour drive from their home. She worked a lot to keep a roof over her son’s head and food on the table. Roxas knew this. Lorelai was quiet and sometimes stern. Her freckles and red hair were the pride of the entire Irish family. Roxas had the freckles, however, he had also inherited his father’s blonde hair and moody disposition. Lucky him.

Although the boy could be a lot to handle with his attitude and general disinterest in the rules, Lorelai loved him very much. After all, he was her everything. She used to always say from the day his father left, Roxas would be the only man in her life.

Even when he came home at one in the morning, covered in road burn and gravel, his skateboard tucked neatly under his arm looking as though he just won some sort of street fight. She’d sigh and get the peroxide and make him take a shower before she’d lecture and interrogate him. They’d developed a very good procedure for this type of development since it happened so often. 

The first time Roxas had done this, Lorelai had hit the ceiling. She grounded him for three weeks but then had lightened the sentence to one after Roxas told her he was only skating, nothing illegal. Something about the night clearing his head. Although, he left the part out about where he was skating. The location itself was usually illegal. Sometimes a construction site and sometimes an abandoned hospital or school that was waiting to be torn down. She didn’t need to know everything.

They had a good routine with lots of understanding. 

“Your cousin is staying for a few days. He’ll be here any minute. Could you go put that thing away before he starts to think skateboarding is a good idea?”

“Mom, he’s older than me.”

“He’s still impressionable. Just do it.”

“He’s almost twenty! …Fine…”

Roxas muttered something about his cousin being an airhead before he padded down the hallway to his room, skateboard under his arm as usual. 

The blonde may have grown up as an only child, however, that didn’t mean he didn’t know what it was like to have a sibling. Roxas had an older cousin named Ventus.

Ventus looked so similar to Roxas that when they were in the same vicinity everyone simply assumed they were twins. Ventus was older than Roxas by two years and his personality was strikingly different. He was much more outgoing and, as Roxas would say, overly optimistic. You’d never be able to tell the age difference, however, and if you did you’d assume Ventus was younger. Roxas took the older sibling turn with him rather often.

The blonde stumbled into his messy room with a grunt. Every time Roxas entered his own room he was irritated that he had to trip over various objects and step on clothes. However, he never seemed to do anything about it. His mess was a blessing and a curse.

He had hardwood floors and a black and grey color scheme. His red curtains stood out among all the dark. Band posters and skate posters littered his walls as much as his dirty clothes littered his floor. His two favorite posters, however, were his minimalist Mulan poster his mother had gotten him as a kid and his Big Hero Six one that he’d picked up at the local mall.

There were patches of floor scattered about underneath his mess but for the most part it was covered. Clothes, books, dvd cases, backpacks, skate equipment and various other teenage boy paraphernalia took up the general floor area in the room. Lorelai had learned long ago to shut the door on Roxas’ mess. He was the one who had to live in it, not her.  
Roxas tossed his skateboard, blue deck side up, with a loud clatter against the floor somewhere to his right and collapsed on his bed with a huff. He rolled onto his back and prepared himself for the next few days of socializing. It wasn’t that he didn’t like when Ventus would visit. He just knew that most of the time that meant hanging out with him and Roxas got burned out on people often. Plus, calling Sora was harder when someone was around, even if both Sora and Ventus had grown accustomed to the latter being in the room during calls.

Speaking of Sora, the skater rummaged in his cargo shorts for his cell phone and typed out a response, ignoring Sora’s five minute nonsense from earlier. ‘Come over.’ was all he said.

They did this often. Even though both knew the other couldn’t do so it was still nice to see the words sent over a million miles in a matter of seconds, hoping for a miracle. Roxas locked his phone and let it fall next to him on the bed.

Ventus had been staying with the Keating’s for years. He did this because his father’s business required traveling. Roxas wasn’t entirely sure what he did specifically but he knew it involved fixing some sort of experimental technology. Whatever it was it was a lot of coding and the man was rarely home. 

For some reason, he took his wife with him on these expeditions but not his son. When Roxas would present this idea to his mother she’d purse her lips and make a sort of low humming noise but give no reply to her brothers methods of parenting. They weren’t close.

This was about the time that Roxas once told Sora in hushed tones at 4 in the morning after he’d made sure Ventus was passed out on the couch “I’d rather have a father that left me instead of getting to know me and not liking what he saw.”

Even at his soon to be adult age of twenty, Ventus still lived with his parents while attending school. Roxas didn’t understand why he still came to spend the night anymore, but Ventus told him he didn’t care for being in that big house alone. So, although he did it less, he still came to stay with them. The only difference now was that he drove himself. 

Ventus made friends very easy and was so gullible that Roxas felt the need to look after him. He tried to drag Roxas to several social events that the skater was completely disinterested with. Ventus had two very close older friends that he loved dearly but Roxas just couldn’t connect with them. Terra was alright sometimes but Roxas got a very ‘I know better than you’ attitude from him. He hated that. Aqua was entirely too overbearing from start to finish. He already had a mom and for awhile didn’t understand why Ventus would want two. 

Then it clicked that he hardly had one. Hardly had parents at all. If you looked at it that way you could tell why Ventus was close friends with people like Terra and Aqua.

A text tone that Pence had once described as ‘It sounds like someone in our party leveled up!’ bleeped into existence and Roxas glanced back at this cell phone.

‘On my way. Just let me throw some junk in a bag and put on my roller skates. Wherever they are because I haven’t seen them since I was seven. This could take awhile. Don’t wait up.’ was Sora’s reply. Roxas grinned and shook his head.

Before he could reply though, the doorbell rang. Why was Ventus ringing the doorbell? He’d been coming over for years now. The boy practically lived there. Roxas blew air out through his teeth and sat up, running a hand through his blonde hair before typing a response to his far away friend.

‘Well, when you do find them just make sure you attach yourself to the back of a car on the highway. Should roll you right here with enough momentum.’

He stretched on his bed and glanced at his equally messy cork board above his dresser. It was covered in pictures of Disney World and, in turn, pictures of Sora. Most of them were selfies that Roxas had purchased prints, but he always managed to feel better giving it a glance over. Sora’s bright blue eyes stood out among his chocolate brown hair and tan skin and he always made the blonde smile, whether he was pulling back his lips to make a goofy face or pressing his own against Roxas’ for a selfie of them both. A lot of them were in front of the Disney Castle. Hell, Roxas bet he had a Disney Castle Sora Selfie for every time they’d gone. 

Roxas shrugged, smile on his face and shook his head before padding into the kitchen to greet his cousin.

Ventus was already sitting on the couch, talking to Lorelai about some kind of event he’d attended with his college friends. Ventus was studying astrophysics which Roxas’ mother, of course, found very interesting and was rather amazed by. Roxas just thought it fit Ventus because he was already spacey and used it to make a lot of get your head out of the stars jokes. 

Although, Roxas had a feeling that astrophysics wasn’t what Ventus wanted to do. He was good at it and he loved the stars but if he didn’t pick a major that promised a lot of money his dad would’ve thrown a fit. He seemed to like it enough to stick with it though and he was good at it too. There was that.

“We all got to ride one of those double decker buses and the view was- Hey, Roxas!!”  
Ventus smiled excitedly and threw his hand up in the air as if Roxas wasn’t less than ten feet away from him and might miss the nearly identical boy sitting in his small living room.

“Hey, Ven. How’re the stars?”Ventus continued to smile from ear to ear and nodded for Roxas to sit on the couch next to him. “Bright! As usual. I’ll let you know if we ever get to see them actually go out.” 

Roxas smiled and got a grape popsicle out of the fridge for himself and a lime one for Ventus. (His mother realized when he was much younger it best to buy popsicles in bulk.) Then he joined his cousin and mother in the living room. He opted to sit on the floor with his legs folded which he was sure his mother wanted to scold him for but she had other directions of scrutiny to attend to on his behalf.

“Ventus was just telling me about an event his college took him on. To Chicago! Doesn’t that sound like fun? All of his friends went. I hope you’re going to take chances like that next month, Roxas. You could make all kinds of friends if you really throw yourself into school.”

Roxas became increasingly interested in his popsicle stick with a grimace. His mother loved Ventus’ outgoing nature and easy ability to make friends wherever he went. Plus, he was really smart. She wanted her son to have a plethora of people around him and never a minute to himself. Roxas wanted just the opposite.

“We’ll see, mom.”  
“Don’t worry, Roxas. College is great! I mean, sure, its a little intimidating at first but then you’ll make a ton of friends! Plus, you learn so much. I like it way better than high school. Trust me.” Ventus grinned and threw a double thumbs up at his younger cousin who gave a half hearted smile and a roll of the eyes. 

“If I start giving double thumb’s up over double middle fingers then I’m going to hate it.” he replied, resisting the urge to flash Ventus that very gesture. His mom, naturally, scolded him for this before attending to the dinner she had been preparing before Ventus had arrived. Not before she warned them both that popsicles better not have ruined their dinner. Nothing had changed in eighteen years, in that respect. Roxas supposed the difference was that Ventus and himself were not running around the living room to Jungle Book songs.

It wasn’t as though Roxas didn’t have friends outside of Sora. They just weren’t his friends by choice, or so he would say. 

Hayner Lucas had cornered him sophomore year in the middle of English class. Literally. The bell had rung and he had blocked the door for both Roxas and several of his very agitated classmates, his hands on his hips. Something about how he and Roxas were the only skateboarding kids in the school which meant they had to be friends. That it was some kind of unspoken high school boy law that Roxas had never heard of.  
What Hayner really meant was that he couldn’t skate at all and wanted Roxas to teach him how to ollie. Roxas denied him and his friendship for a month until at some point he realized all of his dodging Hayner had somehow turned into hanging out with Hayner. Who knew that all of his persistent pestering would pay off?

It wasn’t as though Roxas couldn’t have made friends if he had wanted them, he just didn’t. He had a lot of acquaintances in high school, he just rarely had any close friends. The kids that attended school with Roxas seemed to think the blonde was either very attractive or very cool. However, that only lasted until they realized Roxas didn’t want anything to do with them. Suddenly he wasn’t cool at all, just a whiney, uninterested ruler breaker they could lump in with the skaters or stoners if Roxas actually talked to any of them. Which he didn’t. 

He just found the effort of keeping up with relations at school entirely too much effort. Talking to Sora was easy. They had a lot in common and the effort required to make friends elsewhere wasn’t necessary. They just clicked. Maybe it was because they met at a young age. Who knows?

Hayner, however, had forced his very loud and exuberant friendship upon Roxas. By doing so he had dragged Olette and Pence into the picture with him. A reluctant Roxas hadn’t wanted any part of this friend group but somehow over the years he’d grown close with them all. He even found that he generally enjoyed their company as a whole. 

They respected him when he needed alone time and that he wasn’t a social butterfly. They also didn’t mind when he would get quiet and drift into very extensive texting conversations with Sora while they were all hanging out. 

Hayner teased him for this now and again by calling Sora ‘The Boyfriend’ to which Roxas would get extremely defensive about. He hated that. It wasn’t like that at all. Sora was his best friend. Best friends talked a lot. It was what made them best friends.

This of course, wasn’t enough for his mother. Who didn’t think they hung out quite enough to be considered healthy for a boy his age. That, and, while she loved Sora dearly, talking to him on the phone that much was unhealthy. Whatever that meant. More excerpts from the famous parenting handbook.

“So how’ve you been, Roxas? Your mom said you’re going to community college to iron out all of those generals. I think that’s a super smart idea!” Ventus put his arms behind his head and leaned back on the couch with a shrug. “Generals are annoying but once you get them out of the way, you’re golden. You can focus on what you really wanna do and junk.”

Roxas sucked on his popsicle and shook his head. “Come on, Ventus. You’ve only been going to school a year. You’re talking pretty big already, you lousy stargazer.” 

Ventus just laughed. “I have more of a right then you! You haven’t even been yet.” 

“Thank God for that.” 

Roxas wasn’t exactly nervous about college. He was more wary than anything. The entire prospect seemed like a very daunting and exhausting task that nobody actually wanted to undertake. It was like someone had left the garbage can overflowing and you knew it had to be taken out but when you did so, the bag wasn’t going to be big enough. You’d have to get another bag and pour the excess into the new one and then take them both out. Too much work and better ignored in Roxas’ opinion. Nonetheless, he knew he’d have to undertake the task regardless of how much the trashcan was overflowing. 

“Okay, I get it!” Ventus proclaimed, throwing his hands up in defense as well as surrender. “So, let’s stop talking about school and you can tell me what you’ve been up to! I haven’t been here in a few weeks. How’s Sora?” 

Roxas instantly pulled the purple popsicle from his mouth, a smile hitting him at the topic shift. Ventus always asked about Sora. They’d met once when his cousin had been staying with Roxas during one of Sora’s family vacations. This was the year that both boys had turned sixteen. For his sixteenth birthday, Sora had wanted a trip to Disney. No matter how much his parents tried to sway him.

Sora and Ventus had hit it off after two minutes onto the park’s Main Street. They hadn’t even passed the Main Street Bakery before they were talking nonstop. For a while, Roxas was very irritated at this new discovery. He scowled and grumbled a lot and wouldn’t remove his hands from his pockets. Most likely because sulking was trademark in this type of situation.

Why did Ventus have to get along with Sora so well, anyway? It wasn’t as though they had anything in common. Besides, Roxas hadn’t seen Sora in months and now all Sora wanted to do was talk to his cousin. 

However, Vanitas, to everyones surprise, got along with Ventus really well too. Despite Vanitas’ excessive teasing toward Roxas’ cousin because even Sora noted he had turned up his sarcastic comments. Not that any of them got to Ventus. He almost seemed to enjoy them. They got along in their own backwards way so well, in fact, that Ventus and Vanitas ended up breaking away from the party to ride a few rides alone. This made Roxas feel a lot better. 

That was also the year the family took all four boys to the beach, which, Sora instantly fell in utter love with. Roxas partially understood this because the beach where Sora was from was ice cold compared to Florida’s warm waters. Roxas didn’t like the beach, though. He was bored after twenty minutes and there was too much sand. Sand was the worst because it got everywhere and clung to everything and you’d be shaking it out of your pockets for weeks.

However, Ventus never forgot to ask Roxas about Sora but it wasn’t for his own sake. In fact, Roxas was fairly certain that Vanitas and Ventus kept in touch. He asked Roxas about Sora because he knew Roxas lit up on the subject. The blonde was always more talkative when it involved two things: Disney and Sora.

“He’s doing really well actually! We just talked. I think he’s hanging out with Tidus today. He’s going to school for theatre next month at some university near home. Kind of like you do. Well, I mean mostly. He’s really excited about the Disney internship so I think that’s more important to him than actually attending college.” 

Ventus laughed. “Of course he is! That kid is obsessed with Disney almost more than you are. Which is a lot, by the way. I’ll bet Sora is so excited over the idea of getting to live down here and work at the parks.” Ventus paused and he glanced at Roxas with a strange look. He was still smiling but it was almost like pity or concern? Roxas couldn’t place it. It was odd look for Ventus. Then he added to his sentence something that should have been an after thought but seemed more important than the initial idea itself.

“And to…you know…” Ventus shrugged, that strange smile still on his face. “…See you.”

Roxas paused in the eating of his popsicle. Of course Sora would be excited to see him. That went without saying, honestly. Roxas just didn’t understand why Ventus was looking at him like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this story is going to have a collaborative POV between both Roxas and Sora, however I wanted to get them established in their very own chapters first. So that's what I'm doing with 2 and 3. Meet Roxas!!
> 
> I also wanted to dig into the way Roxas and Sora interact with their family and friends as opposed to each other or, say, at the Disney Parks.
> 
> Both boys are super important to me and this story is going to be so much fun. I have so much planned for so many characters, you have no idea!!
> 
> I hope you guys like this one as well!!
> 
> As a side note: I don't use Microsoft Word because I have a macbook and haven't gotten around to purchasing it. So I'm going off of pages. If you see any errors as far as typing and spacing go, I'm really sorry about that. I try to go back through and edit it here in Archive but sometimes I miss some things. Thanks for understanding.


	3. Left My Body in a Sea of People

A brown and tan streak shot across the local beach of Warren Heights, New Jersey, kicking up sand and very minuscule shells as it went. A shout scattered across the premises along with the sound of an ocean wave and the smack of skin on volleyball. It smelled like sun tan lotion and salt water. The seagulls were hoping the beach goers might share their packed lunches or french fries and ice cream from the boardwalk while the wind whistled along the water. 

The volleyball spiraled and shot up from skin and sand and soared pleasantly over the net. It wasn’t a spike and the ball was in no rush to find its way over to the other side only to be tossed and smacked back over until it inevitably found its way back to the sand. It traversed over the net almost lazily. 

“Got it! Easy!” Shouted another tan boy with bleach blonde hair who was sporting a bright blue tank top as he shot up to spike the ball with full force, managing to crash it through the single blocker on the opposing team and have it land with a definitive bang onto the sand. Before it did this, however, Sora Marino would attempt to keep it in play by sliding on his bare stomach, unceremoniously, across the hot sand. He’d receive a mouth full of dry salt and a point against his two man team for missing it.

Sora sputtered and rolled over onto his back, staring up at the endless blue sky that presented itself. He made a noise as he tried to get all of the sand out of his mouth and listened to Tidus laughing exuberantly on the other side of the net. 

Sora’s arms were spread out on either side of him and he lifted them to let them crash back onto the sand with a well placed “Damn it!” before he rolled over and sat up to take in the defeated scene. “I can’t believe I missed that. I was so close!” 

Garnet laughed as she ran to Sora’s side, leaning down to make sure he was okay. “No.” She said, calmly. “You were not close.” She continued to smile at Sora, brushing a stray piece of her long black hair that had removed itself from her messy ponytail out of her eyes. “You okay, Mr. Hero?” 

Sora blew a raspberry at her while Wakka and Tidus high fived across the net. Tidus was still laughing. “Aw man, he really bit the dust!! How was that sandwich, Sora?” The shorter boy laughed at his own joke while Sora rolled his eyes. “Get it?” Tidus said a bit quieter to Wakka. “Sand Sandwich?” He was running laps around his perimeter of the net.

“Shut up! That was a lucky shot! Stop laughing at your own stupid joke!” But Sora was laughing too. He wiped the sand off his face while Garnet shook it out of his messy hair. “Thanks, G.” he muttered, a tinge of red creeping across his face slightly.

Garnet grinned and flicked him on the forehead. “If you weren’t such a bonehead I wouldn’t have to. But thanks for trying to save the game, hero boy.” She stood up and offered her hand to pull Sora up. He was taller than her by a full three inches and he gave a goofy grin back and shrugged.

“Sorry, princess. I will try and be more careful, jeeze.” Sora stretched and glanced further out to the stretch of beach closer to the water where families had a scattering of umbrellas and beach towels. Some kids were building a sand castle just out of the ocean's reach. The roar of the waves and shouts of children and chatter of adults filled the hot, sun kissed shore. 

Sora loved summer.

“Do you want to go again or have you had enough sand in your mouth for one day, Sora?” Tidus called across the net, still grinning like he’d gotten away with something illegal. Wakka, who was older and taller than all of them with orange fiery hair and a bright blue bandanna, laughed and nudged his partner in crime. 

“Sora is just outta practice, yeah?” Wakka looked across the net between Sora and Garnet and then over the sidelines where a smaller girl sat with her legs crossed. She had brown hair, like Sora, only her’s was lighter. It was medium length and curled up around her face. “What you gotta say, Selphie?” Wakka shouted, his trademark dazzling grin in place.

The girl giggled and shook her head. “I say that you guys could play volleyball all day and night, however, I’m hungry and I know you are too. You boys are never not hungry and you’ve monopolized the time of my best friend for two hours now.” 

Garnet shrugged and took Sora’s hand to lead him across the sand to Selphie’s side. “She has a point. Lots of them actually. The three of you could eat the entire boardwalk out of it’s supply of fries and we have been playing volleyball for two hours.” 

Tidus and Wakka eventually joined them from their side of the net and Tidus crossed his arms in a slight pout. “You two just want to go because we were winning.” he said in a bit of a whine before Wakka put a hand on his hand and shoved him roughly. 

“Nah. Girls are right. I want to eat and I know you do too, Tidus.” 

Sora smiled and put his hands behind his head. “Okay. Decided. I want french fries and hot dogs but afterwards I wanna go swimming!” He dug in his back to produce his green Robin Hood tshirt and threw it over his head, adjusting it at the hem.

Sora was the only on in the group that at the respectable age of seventeen that still enjoyed swimming in the ocean and building sand castles. The others, however, put up with it because Sora would always somehow manage to drag the child out of them and make it fun. Sora was really good at that sort of thing.

Tidus proposed they have some kind of hot dog eating contest at the nearest snack bar and Selphie and Garnet said they both would rather not have to witness that. When they got to the cafe’, however, Sora got caught up in Tidus and his competitive nonsense. That is, until Garnet played her card (As Tidus referred to it) and they decided to ‘eat like gentlemen.’

The gentlemen in question each ate five boardwalk hot dogs and drank a milkshake. Selphie tried not to gag when Wakka started on his sixth without blinking an eye, inevitably kicking both Sora and Tidus’ appetites in the ass.

They were laughing and teasing each other, the beach right behind them and the warm breeze offering welcome relief from the humid and salty summer air. Sora paused to take in those moments and the laughing faces of his friends around him.

He was going to college in just a few weeks. They all were. Wakka was a star football player and already attended Michigan State. He’d been going for a year now and was only home because of summer vacation. Tidus had decided to go to school in Philadelphia which was further away from Jersey but not so much he couldn’t go home to see his parents whenever he wanted.

Both Garnet and Selphie were attending NYU but for entirely different reasons. Garnet was going for something involving law that wasn’t a lawyer and Sora didn’t understand. Selphie was attending for film (Which Sora kept asking if she’d work for Disney, too. Which wasn’t what she wanted and Sora was confused by.) You couldn’t break up the dream team Selphie and Garnet best friend duo for anything, apparently. 

Everyone was going to be separated once Sora started going to his university an hour away. He was living at home now, but, once the semester was over he’d be moving to Florida for an entire year. It wasn’t as though they’d never see each other again, however the brunette had been hanging out with this particular group since he was in middle school. It was a change and Sora had a lot of issues with change. Especially when the change involved people he cared about.

Before he could say something cheesy and hardly thought out in his head, his phone buzzed in his pocket and everything else around him had the volume turned down. He quickly thrust his iPhone, bright blue Cinderella case shining in the sun, into his hands and typed his passcode in three times because he was going so fast he kept hitting the wrong numbers.

‘What if there was a second Treasure Planet and Jim had to like, arrest his dirty beat down dad?”’

Roxas. Sora didn’t notice that he was grinning so hard it was making the sun look like an amateur. His friends did. Wakka and Tidus rolled their eyes and muttered ‘Roxas’ and went back to discussing volleyball championships while Selphie giggled. Garnet didn’t say anything.

‘No way. I mean maybe if it was Silver. That was the whole point of the movie, Roxas! That Silver becomes his weird adopted father figure or whatever!’ You can’t ruin that!’

Sora didn’t say a word to his talkative friends for at least ten minutes while Roxas and him had an extensive texting conversation about Treasure Planet and the reasons that a sequel would or wouldn’t work. They had come to the conclusion they’d rather not see a sequel because the chances of the story getting messed up were high. They loved that movie too much to see something bad attributed to it, however, they enjoyed speculating.

By the time Sora did rejoin society his friends were all standing up from the table and bugging him to go swimming. “Oh! Sorry. Right. Okay!! It just…It was Roxas. He was talking about Treasure Planet. Man, that move is the best! He was telling me about how they should do a sequel about Jim’s real dad but I mean, that wouldn’t make sense since the whole movie was about Silver taking the place of his dad, you know?” 

Tidus snorted as they all started their way across the boardwalk back towards the beach. “We know it was Roxas, you big idiot. Who else would you be texting? All your friends are here!”

Selphie giggled but shook her head. “Thats not nice, Tidus. Roxas is just Sora’s…” She paused for effect and also because she knew Wakka would also want to say it, which he did. “Best friend.” They both laughed and Wakka threw an arm around Sora’s shoulder.

“You know we just love teasin’ you, man.” 

Sora was pouting but it melted in favor of a smile and he shrugged. “Well he is my best friend!! But, yeah, yeah. I know. When are you guys not teasing me?” They were all walking in a defined group, except for Garnet, who had trailed behind slightly. Sora noticed this but he also knew that Garnet got quiet every time Roxas was mentioned. He didn’t know why and she wasn’t the type to be prodded so he always left it alone.

Garnet was back to her usual self by the time the boys took off their shirts and charged head first into the crashing waves. She joined them with Selphie not long after but the two didn’t get as far in as the boys did. After a few minutes the boys all decided to try and find the drop off from the sand bar where the water got deeper.

The water wasn’t as cold today as it normally was, Sora noticed. Must’ve been all the nice weather and hot days they had this July. However, it still wasn’t as warm as it was in Florida. Roxas had yelped when Sora had taken him to the beach here and the brunette couldn’t blame him. Roxas had a bath water ocean compared to the chilled east coast.

Sora got in and out of the water several times to check his phone and reply to Roxas. His friends were so used to this, they didn’t have much to say on the subject. Wakka would just usually remind him to dry his hands off because phones were delicate.

They all splashed around for an hour before making an attempt to build a sandcastle. This resulted in a lot of direction from Garnet and attention to detail from Sora. That was, of course, until Tidus filled the moat with too much water and it sunk the foundation.

“What a metaphor for the future!” Tidus wailed as though it was the end of the world and he was going to cry. Then he punched Sora in the arm who shouted and tried to get him back. Wakka broke it up but he didn’t stop laughing while he did so.

They took a selfie with the melted sand castle and Sora sent it to Roxas anyway, who whined about how he wasn’t there and that his sandcastle turrets were a work of art.

After they had laid in the sun to dry off, Sora sighed and yawned. He was staring up at the blue sky again. It was late in the day and the sun was starting to get lower. Sora really loved how the summer days were longer. He liked Autumn for Halloween and Winter for Christmas. (Christmas was his favorite holiday, after all.) But, it was the holidays he liked. Sora much preferred summer. Especially when it meant he could be surrounded by his friends all the time. He spent so many nights hopping from house to house on a sleepover binge that sometimes his mother had to remind him to come home.

Speaking of home, Wakka was the first to decide to go. “I think I’m gonna split, yeah.” he said as he stretched and stood from the nest of beach towels and slightly sleepy pile of friends. “Gotta work out after dinner anyhow.” 

“Hey can I come?” Tidus asked without missing a beat. Tidus and Wakka were best friends and lately Tidus had been making some kind of attempt to work out with Wakka. He was with him so often he might as well. 

Wakka shook his head, though. “Sorry, man. I gotta take my younger brother, Chappu, to a summer soccer program in the morning. Mom asked me. So I have to get some sleep beforehand.” 

Tidus whined as usual and Wakka just laughed and brushed him off. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We can hang at my place.”

He looked at the rest of the group with a shrug. “Later, guys.” 

They all said their goodbyes as Wakka gathered his things and headed up the left side of the beach toward the boardwalk. Selphie and Tidus decided they were going to head home as well. Tidus lived within walking distance. His parents were rather well off. Well, not even well off. Tidus was rich. However, he hated the term and anything that came along with it. His dad was a professional football player. They had a house practically on the beach itself. 

Selphie said her mom would just pick her up there. Selphie and Tidus were extremely close and no one understood why they weren’t an item. Wakka had pried it out of Tidus once and he said that Selphie was afraid of the long distance that college would cause. That made Sora sad. It made the separation that was coming far too evident. 

Selphie and Tidus left holding hands, however. Which, left Sora and Garnet on the beach alone.

Garnet was sitting up, her knees pulled to her chest. She blew a low whistle through her lips as she gazed at the ocean. Sora was still on his back staring at the sky.

“I’m gonna miss this.” Garnet said, quietly. It was almost as though she wasn’t sure if she wanted Sora to hear it or not. 

The brunette let out a disgruntled sigh. “I know! I’ve been…thinking about it all day. It’s hard enough with Wakka being gone since last year but now you’re all going to be gone! I mean…I-I’m really going to miss you guys. You know?”

Garnet smiled and leaned back on her hands to better look at Sora. “You’re going to miss me, huh?” 

Sora spluttered and rolled around in the sand as he did so. “W-Well yeah! Yes? I mean, of course I am! We’re friends, aren’t we? Why wouldn’t I miss you? I mean it was obvious though…I didn’t have to say it. You probably already knew anyhow.” 

Garnet laughed. It was a sound that Sora was accustomed too. It wasn’t something that made his heart skip a beat nor was he particular to it. It just felt familiar. 

“You are such a little geek.” Garnet stood up from their spot on the beached and lightly kicked some sand onto Sora’s stomach. The brunette rolled his eyes and sat up. Sometimes Sora thought he was the only one who understood Garnet and sometimes he felt like he’d never understand her at all.

“I’m leaving.” She announced without much warning. Garnet tossed her cinched backpack on and glanced back out at the ocean one last time. “I have to get home anyhow. Dinner is calling my name after swimming and playing ball today.”

Sora shrugged. “Yeah. I need to get home too. My mom is probably already mad I’m not there. I’ve been staying with Tidus for the past two days. I mean his house is really big and his mom makes me stay in my own room? Its really weird but like…I can eat all the food in his fridge and the beach is right here! I’m still jealous he can walk here whenever he wants.”

Garnet rolled her eyes. “Go home. Your mom probably misses you and isn’t your brother home? You might as well spend some time with him. There’s only a month left of summer vacation.” 

“I know…” Sora said it a bit quieter and sighed. “He just lectures me every time I see him so I don’t how we’re going to spend actual time together. Its not that I don’t want to!”

Vanitas wouldn’t stop cornering Sora about his apparent delusions of the future. It was starting to get hard to handle. Sora was sure Vanitas would say the same things he’d already said a million times and Sora would respond the same way he had a million times. The fight was just exhausting and this point and Sora would have much rather avoided it in favor of time with his friends.

“You…should listen to him, Sora.” Garnet hesitated before she knew her friend had made up his mind. “Vanitas loves you. He’s crazy but he loves you and besides, crazy seems to run in your family. You should be accustomed to it because you have got it bad.” 

Sora grinned but shook his messy head of brown hair “Do not. I mean, you’re right. Family is nuts but I’m probably the best thing that’s ever happened to the dear Marino’s.” 

This time, Garnet laughed, her voice thick with sarcasm. “Okay, Sora, sure. You’re definitely the least crazy. Absolutely.” 

Sora stood up and brushed the sand off of his shorts with a shrug. “Hey, we can’t all be handsome, smart, funny and not crazy like me! Can you imagine a family without at least one normal person? Sheesh.”

Garnet rolled her eyes again, smile still in place. “Make him watch the Lion King with you. Even if he complains you know he loves that movie.” 

Sora gathered up his own things, deciding there was no point in sticking around by himself and shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. Do you need a ride?” he asked Garnet, glancing back at her curiously. She shook her head. As usual. Garnet never let anyone take her home. She had her car today anyways but Sora always tried.

“You are gonna miss me too, right?” Sora asked as he started gathering his things. “I mean I said I was going to miss you guys but you didn’t say you’d miss me too!” Garnet shook her head and started walking towards the boardwalk without a reply. Sora blinked and tried to hastily shove the rest of his things in his backpack to follow her. “Hey! Garnet! Are you gonna miss me or not!” he shouted across the soon to be sunset streaked beach.

“Of course I am. I’m always going to miss you when you’re gone, hero boy.” 

Sora smiled at Garnet’s retreating back as she headed across the length of the beach toward the boardwalk and eventually the parking lot. Thanks, princess. That was enough.

Sora would have been sad about leaving the beach and even might have stuck around to watch the sun dip below the sky, that is, if his phone hadn’t buzzed in his pocket moments later. He always felt a pull toward the ocean. The sun was beginning to turn a jet streaked red in the sky. He would’ve stayed to watch it if someone hadn’t called him home.

‘Are you still at the beach? Stop eating sand. I want to call you!’

He couldn’t wait to talk to Roxas.

 

 

“Give it back, you jerk!” 

“Why should I? You haven’t been home in two days. You deserve some kind of bullshit for disappearing like that.”

“I didn’t disappear and you’re not mom, Van!”

“Shut up, idiot. You know I go back to school in two weeks and you still slept at Tidus’. Do you even care about you older, loving and well matured brother at all?”

Vanitas grinned as he held Sora’s phone above his head. The way the brunette figured, he was probably finished growing at eighteen. However, Vanitas had obviously received both the combined inches of height his parents had …or something else ridiculous. Maybe he mutated as a child.

Vanitas was six feet and four inches tall, which Sora hated. Sora was only five foot six. It wasn’t fair. The world was obviously playing a rather cruel joke on him. Despite his father warning Vanitas during an undeserved wedgie in the dining room one evening a very long time ago that Sora would grow up to be taller than Vanitas and kick his ass.

So much for the fatherly wisdom. Sora was now eighteen and still subject to his possessions getting dangled over his head while Vanitas made him jump for it. 

“Come on!” he shouted again, fists balled up, ready to unleash whatever move would allot him a returned phone. “I want to talk to Roxas tonight!!”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. “I’ll bet you a lot of money you talked to Roxas last night and the night before that and…oh probably the night before that.” 

“Yeah, so?! That doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk to him again!”

“What could you possibly have to say to him in the…let’s see…” Vanitas opened Sora’s phone and typed his trademark ‘6425’ passcode. ‘Mick’. The beginning of Mickey. Mickey Mouse. Vanitas had teased Sora about that one for years but obviously nothing had swayed him. Now he just claimed that all of his passwords were that and there wasn’t any point in changing them all. Vanitas couldn’t believe his brother was such a dork.

“Sora. You talked to Roxas exactly 4 minutes and seven seconds ago, according to your texting time stamp. Now, why don’t you tell your big brother what is so important that you need to tell him in that time span? I mean look, he hasn’t even texted you back yet.”

Sora scoffed and crossed his arms, a pout forming across his features as he bit his lip. “Its none of your business, Vanitas!! Stop being so good at math. Besides, his cousin is visiting. Give me my phone!!” 

“…Sora?”

Sora and Vanita’s mother stood in the doorway to the kitchen. She had long, dirty blonde hair that was pulled up in a messy bun. She was an entire head smaller than Sora and her hazel eyes glanced at the two boys carefully. She looked like your typical mom in a white t shirt splashed with a stain on the side from cooking dinner and a warning shot in her eyes. She looked as though she was ready to break up the fight, however, her eyes were on her younger son.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Kick his ass.” she said with her thick New Jersey accent, arms crossed and an indignant half smile on her face.

That was like firing a gun in the air. Sora pushed off from the ground and grabbed Vanitas around the waist with enough force to throw him back onto the living room floor. Vanitas made a noise of protest as the air was knocked out of him and the phone slid across the carpet. (Luckily, without much force.) 

Sora attempted to pin his older brother down but Vanitas had other plans. He ended up getting ahold of Sora’s flailing left wrist while trying to dodge the other. He struggled slightly but managed to roll Sora onto his side. Sora punched his brother in the cheek but it wasn’t enough to stop Vanitas from flipping Sora over on his back and sitting on his knees to stop his feet.

This, in turn, however, did not stop his still free arm, which grabbed Vanitas free arm and attempted to kick him off with sheer force. That was about the time that Sora’s mom finally sighed and called it.

“Thats enough, boys!” Vivian said from the doorway with a lot of force for the two young adults on the carpeted floor. You didn’t cross mom. Vanitas and Sora both froze. “Vanitas, get off of him and let him have his phone. Sora, ask Vanitas if he needs some ice for his cheek and get it for him if he does.”

Sora’s dad came home a moment later to find his two boys entangled on the living room floor and his mother leaning against the door frame with a sigh. “Welcome home to your loving and disciplined family, dear. How was work?” 

Vanitas finally edged slowly off Sora like a cat who wasn’t sure what the dog in the house intended to do. Sora didn’t run him though. Just scrambled to grab his rejected phone off of the living room rug as though it was very precious to him. He really needed to change that password.

“Well…” Dominick Marino ran a hand through his dark hair and shook head. “I can’t say I expected to find them sitting at the damn table like two human beings, I’ll give you that.”

Dominick Marino, was an electrician for a local housing construction company based out of their New Jersey community. He grew up in New York City so was, of course, a little rough around the edges with a quick tempter to boot. He worked a lot and often. He had done this for as long as Sora could remember. Sometimes he would leave very early in the morning and Sora didn’t get a chance to see him before he left for work. Then, he would come home so late that Sora had to go to bed because of school. 

Sometimes he felt he wouldn’t see his dad for days. Which was a shame, because Sora loved both of his parents very much. However, he also was aware how hard his father worked and once, every so often, it showed in the trips they’d take or the things he'd buy his sons. Sora and Vanitas were not spoiled, but they didn’t exactly want for much either. 

They were not the sort of household that Tidus lived in, by any means. However, they had very little financial trouble and always extra to pull out some exuberance once in awhile, hence, all of the family trips to Disney.

“Well…Putting my disappointments of sons and heirs aside, I did at least, miss my beautiful wife.” Dominick offered with a smile and a twinkle in his eye that always amazed Sora. It amazed him even more that he probably had the only parents in the world that had been married for years and still managed to blush when they spoke to one another. Much like his mother was doing right then before her husband kissed her gently.

Dominick was definitely busy but he was there for Sora when he needed it, even if he didn’t understand things all the time or proclaimed in his very New York way that ‘What do you want me to do about it? Come on…’ He had no idea about technology, for one and he got irritated like an old man when it was used around him too much. 

When they were younger, Sora and Roxas nearly called each other almost every evening. They spent so long on the phone sometimes that poor Dominick would have to issue his son a five minute warning because he needed to either use the phone or connect to the dial up internet (Sora is very grateful it is now 2014). What in the world two young boys could possibly be discussing on the phone for such a lengthy period was beyond him. It was the 2000’s and Sora should go outside and learn something instead of talking to boys millions of miles away and tying up his phone line.

His mother was much more sympathetic and usually attempted to buy her son more time by discussing things like compromises and what it was like when his father was younger and also had a best friend. This usually got his father reminiscing which was his second favorite activity next to telling Vanitas to ‘straighten up’.

Sora’s mother, Vivian, was a real estate agent and a firecracker. Well, she had been a real estate agent at one point or another. At some time when Sora was very small it was noted that she didn’t need to work as much and that the up keep financially was falling comfortably to Sora’s father. She wanted to take time off to raise her boys and when the opportunity presented itself, she chose to take it.

She was just as exuberant as her son and swore like a sailor. She was sarcastic but with that motherly charm. She took care of her kids and fretted over them extensively when anything happened to them.

Between Sora’s parents and his older brother, things were very stable. It was the only thing in Sora’s life that almost seemed to slow down, despite the usual chaos of a very loud and quick tempered Italian family. Sora felt safe and comfortable at home, as any kid should. Safe, comfortable and very loved.

He was grateful for his families stability and the love he watched his parents have. When he thought about Roxas he wondered if the boy had ever felt that way about his family. Then again, he probably didn’t. Although, that was only because he didn’t have the opportunity to.

Vivian shook her head and teased her husband back before asking the boys to set the table for dinner. Vanitas immediately got up and did so but Sora whined and complained as they went.  
“Vanitas should have to set the table because he’s older and apparently more responsible and should set an example.” He concluded with a nod of his head. 

Vantias rolled his eyes. “Yeah? And you punched me. So set the table, moron.” He grinned and thrust some plates into Sora’s stomach. Sora took them and stuck out his tongue out at his older brother.

“You big baby.”

Sora’s family was very loud and expressive, much like he was. So, naturally, Dinner time at the Marino family household was something akin to a fireworks display in your backyard. Very loud and very chaotic. Although, if dinner time was a fireworks display in a small vicinity then family get togethers were World World Three. There was yelling and shouting even if you weren’t angry and food being tossed around in every direction while a lot of very opinionated Italians attempted to all talk over one another at the same time. After all, each one had the most important thing to say and was probably the correct one, of course.

After a small shouting match about the mashed potatoes being passed, Sora’s father eyed him over the top of his meatloaf and gave a nod in his direction to get his attention. “So, whats a matter? You don’t wanna stay with your family anymore, huh? We’re not good enough for you no more? I work my ass off to keep the house and he’s sleepin’ over at other kids houses. Whats the damn point?” 

Vanitas snorted into his beer and Sora shot him a scowl as he pushed his peas around on his plate. “It’s not like that, dad! I just wanted to stay at Tidus’ because we were playing video games all night.”

“Video games? Yeesh. You could be home and playing games with your brother or helping your mom with stuff around the house. No, he’d rather live like a homeless kid at someone else's house and play computer games until sunrise.”

Sora grumbled but his mother intervened. “He’s a kid, Dom. Let him go scrape his fucking knees and get into trouble a little bit. He always let’s me know where he is and I’m sure when the Caladbolg’s get sick of him they’ll kick his ass out.”

Vanitas swallowed a spoonful of mashed potatoes to announce “I’m sick of him. So when can we kick him out?” with a grin.  
Sora took a mouthful of meatloaf, chewed it for a second and then proceeded to let Vanitas look at it by sticking his tongue out. Vanitas smirked and rolled his eyes as though this action was a novice move.

“Nice. So, Sora. While we’re on the subject of you getting the fuck out…Are you still attempting to go to Florida in January?” 

Sora wanted to slam his head directly into his mashed potatoes. He knew at some point Vanitas would dredge up this argument. He honestly couldn’t believe it hadn’t come up in the last hour. It had to be some kind of record since his brother had come home for summer vacation. Before Sora could respond, however, his dad took the reigns.

“Your brother has a point, Sora. I can already see you gettin’ real red around the ears. Calm down. Vanitas just wants you to keep your options open. Nobody knows what they want at eighteen.”

Sora stabbed his meatloaf with excess force and grumbled. Just what he wanted. An entire family discussion about his future over dinner. Wonderful. He should have just stayed at Tidus’ another night or at least had dinner there.

“My options aren’t open because I want to work at Disney and that’s it. Besides, its just an internship until I can move down there and actually apply for full time. So it’s not even set in stone entirely yet. But…it doesn’t really matter. That’s what I want to do and I’m going to do it.”

Vanitas bit the inside of his cheek before he spoke. “Sora, you’re only going to make a little above minimum wage doing that and I’ll bet you hardly get the hours you need. You need a career not a hobby job.” 

Sora sighed through his nose. “Not all of his can play mad scientist and enjoy it, Van. I’m glad you have a gift but I don’t want to play with dead people in the basement.”  
Vanitas was about to throw a fit when Vivian stepped up the plate. “Sora, your brother and father are just worried about you. I’ve assured them a hundred times, however…” She gave both her eldest son and husband a hard stare. “That you need to find your own path and figure it out for yourself. You might love Disney and that’s great but you might also stumble across something else you want to do. And that is damn well okay with me.”

Vanitas, however, refused to let this kind of thing go. “I’m not asking you to go into mortuary Sora! I agree. You’d see a body and pass out on sight. I mean it’s not an easy job. But, Disney World? That’s about as unrealistic a career as it gets! What about a tech program or …Hey you love the plane! What about a pilot? They make good money with good hours and-“

“Vanitas I told you I’m working at Disney! Can you just drop it?” 

It wasn’t his fault. Sora knew this. It just made his blood boil. Vanitas was different. Even if Sora was born with the out of place chocolate brown hair (A combination of his father’s black and mother’s blonde, he wagered) and his brother got the trademark black. You could say Vanitas went through phases. Sora’s older brother was extremely quiet as a child. He was very inquisitive and rather shy. He clung to Sora’s mother like glue and when Dominick would insist his son needed to be more active and outgoing his mother would simply roll her eyes and proclaim that he would be. He was just taking everything in. 

Mom’s are usually right. As Vanitas got older he began to come out of his shell. He was still very much attached to his mother, however, he began to question everything around him with a certain tone of defiance. This defiance manifested into annoyance when a proper explanation was not given to him. Nothing made a young Vanitas more frustrated then when his father would answer his ‘Why?’ with a simple ‘Because.’

When Sora was born, a very interested five year old Vanitas dropped the shy persona altogether. Although his parents could never figure out where it had come from, Van spent a lot of the years following Sora’s birth being an outright pain in the ass, for lack of a better term. Maybe it was because he wanted the attention or perhaps he felt a need to impress his baby brother. No one ever expects the quiet ones to tell the teacher to ‘piss off’ in front of the whole class at the age of seven. They also don’t expect their son, who was once to shy to let go of mom’s hand, to sneak out of his bedroom window at thirteen to meet up with his teenage friends, go to the local park and carve initials and words like ‘butts’ into trees.

Vivian got to see her son standing in her doorway with a police officer at midnight and a grin that said ‘Whoops, I’m sorry I accidentally fell out of my bedroom window and ended up at the park at such an unreasonable hour that was way past the county curfew. Sorry.’ Needless to say Vanitas was in so much trouble Sora could swear his ears were ringing when the argument his father presented was through. He made sure to call Roxas and tell him all about it the very next morning.

Vanitas, however, despite his rebellious teenage years, did seem to have one constant. Regardless of anything he did or how much trouble he got himself into, Vanitas adored his younger brother. Although, he would never admit it. They were very close even when Sora was a baby. Their mother had to tell Vanitas he could only carry Sora around so much a day because otherwise she wasn’t sure her eldest son would ever put him down. 

Vanitas loved his younger brother despite all the wedgies and even nose bleeds that had occurred between them over the years. Van left a certain level of carefully laid out jokes and disguised pet names so that no one would ever think they were too close for his nonchalant and generally devil may care attitude. Nobody would ever suspect you called your younger brother ‘idiot’ and ‘loser’ if you actually liked them, right?

Sora, however, knew his brother would do anything for him even if he tried so hard to make everyone think the opposite. Perhaps it was better that way. Sora knew that if Vanitas every truly showed him affection or out right care he’d be entirely too weirded out by the situation to take it seriously anyways. They had their own way of doing things and it suited them both just fine.

They spent time together when Vanitas was home, usually. They’d go to the beach or out to the boardwalk for the day and sometimes they’d play laser tag or hit up the local amusement park. Often, they’d watch movies together at home after dinner. Even if they picked on each other, it was undeniable that they were close.

So, naturally, Vanitas cared about Sora and was concerned for him, which Sora understood. However, the way it continued to be presented to him was starting to wear the brunette thin. He had made his choice and he was getting tired of relaying it over and over again.

“Fine. I’ll drop it. For now.” Vanitas offered that much but Sora knew the discussion was far from over. He had a feeling that Vanitas would be bothering him up until the day he actually left for Florida as though it could be cancelled at a moments notice. It was just something he was going to have to deal with, apparently.

“Anyways…” Sora’s mother offered with a sigh and shake of her head. “Are you ready for your last semester, Van? I’ll bet you’re ready to be the hell done with college.”  
His dad nodded. “Job offers yet?”

Sora was grateful for the change of conversation and Vanitas loved talking about school. He had really found something to be passionate about. When he talked about mortuary, as weird as it was, his eyes lit up and his hands moved with excitement. Sora wondered if he looked like that when he talked about Disney World or maybe Roxas…

Vanitas was accepted to every single school he applied to. He settled on attending Ohio University for a degree in Mortuary Sciences. As Vanitas ended his senior year, he leveled out. He adored college. He became immersed easily in his studies and although he was still as feisty as ever, he had goals and he intended to meet them. He excelled in college and was on his final semester. Although he was rather upset that if he wanted to accept all the job offers he was receiving he would have to stop shaving the side of his head and take out his snake bites. Sora still couldn’t stop laughing over his older brother in a suit for work. His rebellious alternative style just didn’t mix.

This is why when Sora, whose grades were good and was also widely accepted into college, chose Theatre as a major, Vanitas hit the floor. He wanted to see his little brother in something more academic because as we’ve discussed Vanitas loves Sora immensely. He lectured him much like a father would on why this particular major wouldn’t make him money or get him a nice house someday or be able to take care of his future wife. Sora would scoff and stick out his tongue. Vanitas had really lost his mind when Sora had proclaimed that Theatre wasn’t his end goal. Disney World was.

Roxas had chosen to take his generals at the local community college. He was convinced he didn’t have the grades to attend a university, not that he made any attempt to apply. He just didn’t want the brunt of failure and a shiny white letter that read ‘Sorry you’re not good enough to attend our school’ to come in the mail. He didn’t like the idea of an ‘undecided major’ anyway. Roxas said it sounded like a cop out. So the blonde stuck with getting his generals knocked out for now.

However, Sora’s grade’s weren’t half bad and, for his families sanity, he had decided to attend one of the university’s he had been accepted to. It was only a hour away, which meant that as long as Sora didn’t mind the drive, he could still live at home while he attended. He only had to be in college for one semester until the Disney College Program would accept him so this worked out in his favor. 

Not that most of Sora’s good grades had anything to do with his studies. People really liked Sora. Teachers, sports directors; adults in general. Unlike Vanitas, who, despite his attitude problem and general middle finger to most social standards had perfect grades. He had received honor roll in both Junior and Senior year even though the principle went over it probably thirty times assuming there must be some mistake. Vanitas was just naturally good with numbers and biology. He was a whiz kid in anything that related to science. It was probably the only reason he was never expelled. 

“Four job offers? That’s impressive, son.” Dominick eyed his eldest with a smile. “We weren’t sure you were gonna make it but I’m glad you got your shit together.”

“Dominick. Of course he’s impressive, he’s a Marino. And we’re good for impressing. You thinking about location for these jobs, Vanitas?”

Sora let the conversation carry on without him. He had taken his phone out and was texting Roxas underneath the table. If his dad saw it, he’d be in a world of trouble. “Hey. Sora.”  
Sora scoffed. Too late.  
“What are you doin’ under the table? You got something you want to share with the class?” Dominick eyed his son carefully. 

“He’s texting Roxas, obviously.” Vanitas said with a smirk Sora’s way. 

Sora’s mother placed her silverware on her finished dinner plate with a warning glance. “Come on, Sora. Dinner time is family time. I’m sure Roxas can wait.” 

Sora kicked his legs out under the table with a grumble. “But it’s Roxas.” He said with a slight whine as though his should have been entirely enough explanation. 

His dad rolled his eyes. “Sheesh. He spends days on end at his friend’s houses and then he can’t spend two minutes with his family. Roxas should be spending time with his family, anyhow. Speaking of, has that kid stopped gelling up one side of his hair yet?”

Sora smiled at the thought. “Nope! It looks good on him though! I can’t imagine Roxas without his hair swooping to the side! He always look off when we go swimming and it gets wet.”

Roxas was very important to Sora but it wasn’t as though throughout his life Sora had much trouble making friends. He was outgoing, loud and expressive. The brunette didn’t need to look for attention, it simply gravitated toward him like a beacon. Nobody wanted to be Sora’s friend because they already were his friend. High school was a blur of social events for the boy who, naturally, immersed himself in everything he could get his hands on.

He was in the art club and on the soccer team. He was in both choir and show choir. He was on the debate team, however this mostly consisted of Sora repeating ‘Everyone’s opinion is valid!’ several times during each debate and not actually participating correctly. He played trumpet in band with Tidus who played the bass drum. Sora never got tired of watching tiny Tidus lug the drum that was half his size around the football field at Wakka’s games. Sora thought this was hilarious. Tidus only picked that instrument because he felt he had something to prove and this way he got to attend the football games with his best friend.

Sora was also on the prom committee and he participated in the high school play every single year. When one activity ended for the year it was never long before something else began for him. 

Between all of his extensive list of extra curricular activities, the boy still somehow managed to find time to spend with his friends. Sora usually seemed so busy during his school months that Vanitas would worry his brother was running himself ragged. However, Sora was a social butterfly and he excelled at keeping up with anything involving the presence of other humans. Vanitas found this exhausting just to look at. Roxas probably did as well.

He was a friend to all and walking down the hallway in school was a murmured and chaotic assortment of ‘hi’ ’s and ‘Hey, Sora’ ‘s directed to the messy haired teenager. However, Sora only had five friends he considered himself close with. They consisted of Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Garnet and, naturally, Roxas.  
“Well,” Dominick said as he added more potatoes to his plate. “He needs to grow up and quit that. Not that my eldest son has stopped his asymmetrical bullshit. You look like you got into a fight with a lawn mower.” Vanitas grimaced and shrugged but decided to avoid the argument and keep quiet. His dad had been saying that for years. “Roxas is smart for going to community college first, though. Probably saves his mother a lot of money.”

Vivan nodded. “I talked to Lor a week or so ago. She said she’s managing alright as far as Roxas goes. Good thing she doesn’t have two boys going into college like us. What were we thinking? Should have sold Vanitas in New York and made Sora work with you, Dom.”

Both boys shouted and laughed in protest at such a statement and dinner carried on as per usual with no more debate on what Sora’s future would hold, thankfully.

Afterwards, when the plates were cleared and the kitchen cleaned to Vivan’s liking. Sora sprinted up the stairs in a rush to his room. Vanitas scoffed at this and his dad shouted something that sounded like ‘Where’s the fire?’. He could hear his mother’s response when he reached the balcony landing at the top of the stairs. ‘Roxas is the fire.’ she said with a laugh. 

She knew him too well.

Sora pulled open his white door to his bedroom and kicked his backpack he had deposited there earlier, out of the way. His room was a deep blue color which matched up with his grey rug quite well. However, the rest of Sora’s room was red. Red sheets, red curtains. Roxas found this color combination childish and would look at Sora endearingly and tell him to grow up. Sora didn’t see anything wrong with it. Red went well with blue, he would say, we were all just brainwashed by the American flag to think it didn’t. He’d usually end this statement with a Peter Pan quote about growing up and Roxas would laugh.

The red matched up with his Mickey Mouse decor. Sora had a collection of vintage Mickey Mouse mini posters, all framed and against his front wall. He also had a Steamboat Willie poster above his bed and a Mickey Mouse lamp on his dresser. Everywhere you looked in Sora’s room there was some sort of Disney paraphernalia. From his Lilo and Stitch toothbrush holder in the bathroom to his Sleeping Beauty statue on his dresser.

Of course, Sora sometimes thought Roxas had a point about his room being childish when he looked at the plastic, glow in the dark stars that had been stuck to his ceiling since he was ten. However, when Sora turned off the lights at night, any thoughts he had of removing them were out of the question. They were just too cool. Roxas was crazy.

Sora jumped over his laundry basket to land in a pile of limbs on his bed, straightening himself out to pull his phone out of his pocket. He texted Roxas quickly, knowing that with Ventus staying at his house, a warning was best.

‘Can I call you, you big idiot?’

Sora waited like a puppy whose tail was practically wagging. He didn’t get on the internet or even touch his red 3DS sitting on his nightstand while he waited a full three minutes for a response. 

A response came though in the form of his phone lighting up and playing an 8-bit version of the theme song from Disney’s UP. Sora loved that ringtone intensely but it didn’t stop him from scrambling to answer the phone.

“Hey!!” he said, winded, despite not exerting himself in the least. 

“Who are you calling a big idiot, you big idiot?” Roxas’ voice came over the line, teasing. He was smiling, Sora could tell. There was always a difference to Roxas’ voice when he was smiling as opposed to when he wasn’t. 

“You. Besides, you can’t call me that because I just had a horrible family dinner catastrophe and you have to take pity on me!”

“Correction.” Roxas said, dramatically pausing for effect. He was good at that. “Every single family dinner you have is a catastrophe, therefore, I should get some sort of pass for dealing with them on an almost daily basis.” 

“But, Roxas!!” Sora whined and crossed his legs to sit properly for a long conversation with his best friend. “I need to talk about it. Bottling things up probably causes long term damage.”

“Oh, so that’s what’s wrong with you. Long term brain damage.” Roxas replied, still grinning on the other end of the line. Sora could hear the wheels of his skateboard being lifted up and smacked back down. He was sitting on his back porch. Sora didn’t even need to confirm. He knew right where Roxas was sitting because he’d seen so many selfies from the exact position. He was flipping the tail end of his skateboard up with his foot.

“Probably but how are we ever going to explain you?” Sora retorted with a huff and a shake of his messy head. “But, really, Roxas. Van started again. Can you believe it? And this time, he did it over dinner so guess who else got involved? Dad!! I was two timed at my own dinner table!” 

Roxas chuckled on one line while Sora pouted on the other. “I’m sure your mom jumped to your defense, man. She isn’t the type to sit quiet like my mom. So it was a tag team effort on both ends. Besides, I’m sure they aren’t going to sway you so who cares?” 

“I know…” Sora sighed. “Its just really annoying to have to tell them the same response to the same question fifty times.” 

“They’ll get over it. When we finish up our interview’s in December, they won’t be able to say much. Once we’re accepted its like a done deal so just ride it out. Besides, Van leaves soon right? I think you said two weeks?”

Sora punched his pillow before settling back against it. “Yeah, but that won’t stop him from texting me and he’ll be home for the holidays. Plenty of time to get lots of lectures in before then.” 

Sora could hear Roxas slamming his skateboard wheels against the concrete again. He had never seen Roxas really do any major tricks on the thing. Only flip it around with his feet and coast. Sora was pretty sure his best friend couldn’t actually skateboard and that was the extent of his knowledge, however, Roxas claimed that was only because Sora had never accompanied him to the skatepark. Apparently he was better at ‘drops’ then he was at ‘street skating’. Whatever that meant.

“Eh. Whatever. Vanitas is a wet sandwich. Did you get your class schedule yet?” Roxas had already received his and was due to start school on the 24th of August. Sora started a week earlier than him but he had yet to receive his schedule. 

“Nope. I…haven’t registered yet.” 

Roxas moaned on the other end of the line. “You have to do that, idiot! School starts in less than a month and if you don’t hurry you won’t get any classes you want!”

Sora shrugged even though Roxas couldn’t see it. “Yeah but, there aren’t any classes I really want, you know? I’m just waiting for January.” He fidgeted on his bed before cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear and grabbing for his DS. 

Sora liked to keep his hands busy at all times. His brother said he probably had ADHD but he was never tested for it. He could multitask well though and he slid the button to ‘on’ as he continued to talk to his best friend.

“You have a one track mind, you know that? So I know we’ve talked about this a million times but I’m thinking about where I want to work again and wouldn’t it be really cool to get to work IN Space Mountain? You’d never get hot and the music there is my favorite.”

Sora made a raspberry noise while his Animal Crossing booted up. “Talk about a one track mind. You jump around constantly. Besides, why wouldn’t you want to be in the sun? I’d hate to be stuck inside all day! I want to work in Adventureland!” 

“Sora you forget the distinct and radical notion that I live in Florida. The sunshine state. I don’t get a break from the eternal Fire Gods. Its humid as shit here.”  
“The eternal Fire Gods can visit me all they want. I can’t wait. It’s way too cold here! I like the sun!! It rained a few days ago and it was the worst! Besides, its going to start snowing in January and I’m so stoked to get out of here when that starts.” 

Sora would rather the sun shone all the time. He was always put into a funk when there were clouds outside. Which is also why he preferred summer so much. The bitter cold winter’s that Jersey provided were starting to bum him out. Even if New York City was really pretty during the holidays.

“I have to remind you, Sora, that it rains once a day here…Sporadically. Then it acts like it never happened. Its bullshit. I wouldn’t care but it doesn’t cool anything down it just makes it more fucking humid and you know how I feel about that…” Roxas sounded like he’d blown air through the mouthpiece of the phone.

Sora knew all too well. Roxas hated the humidity and to get him started on about it was asking for it. He never stopped his rant about the Florida weather and the ‘idiot tourists’ who though living there was permanent vacation.

“Well at least the sun comes back out afterwards. It rains for days here and it’s cloudy and never stops. Plus it cools down the ocean!! Which is already so cold!! As you know.” 

Roxas did laugh at that. “That’s true. Your water is like ice. I don’t understand it at all. Ours is like a hot tub comparatively. Guess thats just proof you don’t live in the South.” 

“Well, no kidding, idiot. So, can I come down early?” 

Roxas paused on the other end of the line. “Early?” He asked, sounding genuinely confused. 

Sora sputtered and flopped around on his red bedspread. “Early!! For Disney!! In January!” He spaced all of his words out in his erratic excitement. Roxas laughed heavily on the other end of the line. Sora huffed and pouted but only for a moment. He loved when Roxas laughed. It was usually due to something stupid he’d done or a remark he’d made without thinking but that was what was special about it. Sora never saw it coming.

“The internship? Jesus, Sora. Can you focus on anything for more than a second? You, nerd. I mean its not even August yet!” Sora could hear his best friend riding his skateboard across the back porch. When the sound of wheels on wood ended, Sora knew Roxas was making his way into the yard. Probably to crash land on the hammock. 

“Well, I mean…I want to come down a few days before! I’ve never even been to your house, Rox. We’ve been friends for…” Sora paused and counted the years on his tan fingers carefully. This was important, after all. “…thirteen years…” Sora said it slowly and comprehended it for a minute. “Thirteen years!!” He shouted more excitedly as he realized what the number was. 

Roxas scoffed on the other end of the line. “Sora, why are you so loud? Are you going to pay for me to have a hearing aid someday?” 

“Thirteen years, Roxas!! That is insane!! How come you and I have never celebrated our friendship? I want a friendship party! I mean, thirteen years, Roxas!!”

Roxas was fidgeting on the other line, Sora could tell. He was just as excited he just didn’t want to show it. “Yeah, thats true. Okay, that is crazy. You’re right. Thirteen years is insane but it also makes me feel really fucking old?”

It was Sora’s turn to laugh. “You got that right, gramps! When are we gonna get to celebrate it though? We should do something before our Disney start dates. Oh oh!! What if I come down early and we go to Disney World to celebrate?”

Roxas laughed again and Sora realized he was up on his knees on his bed. He hadn’t even realized how excited he was getting. 

“Well, Sora. Since we will be working when we get there, I’d say hell yeah but we won’t have our passes yet and I don’t want to pay to get in.” Roxas had an annual pass for Disney which meant he didn’t really have to pay to get in. His mom paid a monthly fee but it was way cheaper for Florida residents than it was for out of state tourists. What he really meant was he didn’t want Sora to have to pay.

“I’ll bet I can get the money from my parents. Don’t worry!” Sora’s parents had never denied him the ability to attend Disney, even if he had to pick up a few extra chores around the house and cut the grass instead of his dad.

Roxas had other plans, however. “Let’s do Downtown Disney instead? We can go to the Godiva store and I can get those slushies I love so much. Deal?”

Sora took a moment to think that over but when he remembered the hot chocolate he’d had at the Godiva store once when he was visiting with his family, his eyes lit up. That had been a very fun part of the vacation. Sora had loved Downtown Disney. His parents wallets had not, however, that wasn’t the concern of a very excitable sixteen year old. “Yeah! Okay!! Let’s do that! I’m pumped!!”

Roxas and Sora exchanged excitement over Disney, both the park and the movies. Sora also unlocked the stylist in his Animal Crossing game which he fretted to Roxas about for an hour until the blonde ventured inside to turn on his own 3DS so they could run around Sora’s town together. 

When Sora finally did go to bed it was three in the morning. Typical. The only reason they’d gotten off the phone was because Sora was complaining his eyes were bothering him. Roxas told him it was all the video games he played. However, Vanitas had also come to the door to pound on it twice and tell Sora to ‘stop being so loud on the damn phone.’

Roxas was a night owl with a lot of sleeping issues and Sora usually couldn’t keep up with him as well because he liked to get up early in the morning. Sora rose with the sun. He hated to start his day late even if he had to drag himself out of bed from a long night before. They were opposites in that effect. Roxas slept in until noon almost every day and to wake him before then was akin to poking a very large and angry bear with a stick.

Sora knew Roxas would be awake much longer than him, however, they exchanged goodbyes and goodnights before hanging up. Sora went to bed that night with dreams of roller coasters, overpriced Mickey Mouse shaped balloons and Roxas being close enough to touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sora is such a ball of energy and Disney goodness. The stereo typical Italian family is exactly how I grew up. Sora and his fam are almost based off of my Aunt and her two boys. I have a lot of love for older brother Vanitas, too. Honestly, I'd love to have a side one-shot dedicated to Van and maybe I'll give you all one after I'm finished with this story. 
> 
> I try to stay a chapter ahead each time I post these and I'm about 3/4 of the way through the 4th one but I couldn't resist posting this up. Hope you guys like this one, too!! We should be AT Disney World in the 5th Chapter so thumbs UP. 
> 
> ALSO thank for all the wonderful and encouraging comments I've received from you guys!! I really appreciate each and every one of them!! Keep em' comin!! (Psst I respond to and see stuff more on my Tumblr: PunkRoxas so you're all welcome to hit that up too!! xoxoxoxoxo)


	4. Feverish Speaking

It wasn’t long before the summer air was scented with the beginnings of Autumn. The days were still baking, which made the return to school and classes even harder than it should have been. The routine of sliding back into school was a hard one to begin with. The tropical summer air made it no less of an enjoyable experience. 

However, for Roxas, it was a lot worse than it would have been for Sora. Summer’s in Florida were nothing to joke about. The weather would reach its insanity break of ninety degrees and beyond and the humidity would sky rocket. Roxas preferred winter in Florida. It might not have snowed like it did where Sora was from but the temperature dropped to a comfortable seventy degrees and the humidity was less stifling. Which is exactly what the blonde liked.

However, the weather was still scorching when Roxas was forced to skateboard to the local community college. He hated when tourists and east coasters would talk about how nice it was to live in Florida and how the weather must be wonderful, especially in summer. They had no idea. Skating through this heatwave was like trying to fight your way through a thick mound of very hot molasses. Messy, slow, tiring and unenjoyable.

On the first day of college Roxas was late. Although, he’ll claim this wasn’t his fault. Nobody had told him he needed to acquire a student ID before he went to class. He claims. (He may have skimmed an email or two.)

Once that was settled and done with, Roxas had the distinct privilege of flashing a very horrible picture of a disgruntled and sleep deprived teenager to the security guard at the main desk. The only good thing about his ID photo was his Lady and the Tramp shirt. Afterwards, he was able to attend class. It was just generals and Roxas took it all with a lack of excitement and a lazy air about him. To the exhausted boy with the overly disheveled blonde hair in the back row, he may as well have still been in high school.

For one, he couldn’t smoke on campus. Anywhere. That irritated him right off the bat. At least in high school he could sneak behind the bleachers and use the last stall in the bathroom on the second floor with the other stoners. Second, everyone walked around too stiffly and with too much of a business vibe. Most of them seemed as though they wanted to study, go to class and get out. Now, this sort of thing shouldn’t have bothered Roxas, who was antisocial as it was. The kids and young adults attending the school not looking for friends seemed like a welcome break from the busy hallways of high school where status amounted to the number of people that were tagging your heels.

 However, the all work and no play pressure that hung in the air was depressing. Roxas thought maybe he’d feel better if he attended the club fair that would be taking place later in the week. Not that he’d join any. It would just be nice to see people actually interacting with one another in a positive manner that didn’t involve GPA’s and carefully assessed test scores.

It was during the lunch break for the day, when Roxas was skating through the campus to what they considered the cafe’ (Dropping the ‘’teria’ as though it made the idea more adult. Please.), that he got the biggest headache. The headache itself came soaring out of nowhere somewhere to his left. It crashed into him with enough force that he stumbled off of his skateboard and had to catch his balance before he toppled over onto the concrete sidewalk and into two other students. He narrowly avoided the two, one of which muttered “Freshman…”

“Roxas!!!”

The shout was loud enough that the blonde in question was certain that half of the student body at the Florida Community College now knew his name. He supposed that was one way to be introduced to his fellow classmates. Wonderful. 

Hayner had one of his hands clamped firmly around Roxas’ left wrist and the other on his right shoulder. He was grinning as though he’d received everything he’d ever wanted for Christmas and more. He was wearing his trademark camo cargo’s and a tank top that looked as though he’d spray painted the ‘X’ design on himself. His own worse for wear skateboard was attached to his backpack by a criss cross of bungee cords and looking as though the wood was trying very hard to hold itself together.

“Hey, man!! I was wondering where the hell you were. I’ve been texting you for two days trying to find out your fucking schedule. I was worried you’d died!! Bet you were answering Sora. Jeeze. I guess I can’t compare to your boyfriend!” he laughed and shoved Roxas playfully, finally pulling away to grin his evil grin and cross his arms.

Roxas hissed and glared at his so called friend. “Shut up, Hayner!” he got quieter with his next statement and grumbled slightly. “He’s…not my fucking boyfriend…”

“Whatever, man! I’m just glad I got to see you today! This place is weak, huh? I can’t smoke anywhere and everyone’s being such a tool. I tried to talk to some asshole in algebra 102 and he blew me off. I just wanted to ask him if he was wearing his Manchester Orchestra shirt because he liked the band or he liked the logo. He didn’t have to be such a dick.”

Hayner put his hands in his pockets and then eyed Roxas’ board on the ground. He blinked and then began grinning again. “I see you’ve been wasting no time, though! Hey, has anyone given you shit for that? That’s gotta be the only improvement since high school. I mean, if they haven’t.”

Roxas sighed and tried to take all of Hayner’s exuberant personality in at once. Yes, Hayner had been texting him for the past few days but Roxas had never been good at replying to anything the kid ever sent him. Lucky for Roxas, Hayner knew this and only teased him about it lightly when he finally did catch up with his friend. Roxas usually had intention to reply to Hayner but he never got around to it and forgot about it by the time he had a minute. Not that the camo kid seemed to be swayed by this.

“Yeah. Nah. Nobody has said anything yet. Although, I have a feeling if I tried anything other than just travel, I’d be in trouble. There is a fountain down by the science building that I would love to get my wheels on…But if I get kicked out my mom’ll have a fucking heart attack.” Roxas sighed. He couldn’t put his mom through any skateboarding fatalities this early in the year.

Hayner laughed. “I’ve seen it!! You’re right. We would probably definitely get our asses kicked out for that shit but can you imagine if it was empty? It was made to be skated empty!” Hayner had knelt down and was busy undoing the bungee cords on his backpack to free his skateboard while he talked. Roxas sighed and shook his head, small smile on his face. Hayner had been waiting to see someone else skating so he could do so without getting in trouble. “Anyhow, what’s your schedule looking like? Where are you headed now?” 

Roxas and Hayner ended up skating to the cafe’ together, grabbing lunch and sitting on one of the hills nearby and exchanging schedules. Roxas figured if he didn’t give it to the dark blonde now, Hayner would figure out a way to get his hands on his eventually. Besides, with the way everyone had been all morning around Roxas, he was almost glad for the company. However. he would never let Hayner know that. 

Some of the kids did finally seem interested in the pair, too. They didn’t get a lot of a skaters.

Roxas remembered, fondly, how Sora’s first day of classes had gone. He’d started a week before the blonde and had called Roxas as soon as he’d arrived at home and lost his mind. Roxas could hardly get a word in while Sora went off about the entire thing. He seemed really excited about the school. The size of it and his classes. He had, of course, tried to join a million clubs as soon as possible, too. The thing with Sora was that lately, Roxas was getting some kind of discouragement coming from him. There was something about college that wasn’t meeting up to Sora’s standards, though Roxas wasn’t sure what it was. He wasn’t even sure if Sora knew what it was. Something was off though, Roxas could tell. 

The blonde wasn’t particularly excited about college, however, he reminded himself that in a few months, he would be at Disney World with his best friend. That’s what really mattered. 

Roxas and Hayner split up to finish out their respective classes for the day. After his last class, Hayner ambushed him outside of the academics building with gusto. Of course he would finish his classes before Roxas during the day. Go figure. 

He, excitedly, proclaimed that he had texted both Pence and Olette to go out to get dinner and there was no getting out of it. Roxas, begrudgingly, agreed. What he really wanted to do, was call Sora. However, he knew when Hayner dug his heels in with his dirty converse there was no budging him. He did, however, make sure to text Sora immediately. 

‘Hayner kidnapped me. I can’t get out of it. Class was stupid. Tell you about it when I’m home, though. Hope your day didn’t shit on you.’ 

Roxas and Hayner skated to meet up with their friends but stopped at the gas station so Roxas could acquire a popsicle. “You had two of those at lunch. What the hell is wrong with you?” Hayner had said while Roxas unwrapped his fourth for the day. Four was nothing and Hayner knew it. 

Roxas didn’t realize that anything was wrong with Sora until Hayner and him met up with Olette and Pence at the local Mexican restaurant. Pence smiled his ear to ear smile and Olette gave a small wave. “Roxas!!” Pence announced happily and slapped him on the back. “Its been awhile!” 

Roxas smiled and shrugged. He liked Pence. He was quieter than Hayner and the most loyal friend you could ever ask for. He’d drop everything to be there for you in a second. “Sure has. How was Georgia?” 

Pence put his hands behind his head and leaned back on his heels with a smile. “Awesome!! I got to go fishing and I’ll have to show you pictures because the fish I caught was huge!” 

Olette giggled. “He’s really gotten in touch with his outdoor side while he was in Georgia. He brought me peaches from his Uncle’s farm.” 

“Peaches?!” Hayner exclaimed, loudly. “Man, where’s my peaches!” 

Pence laughed. “Calm down, my mom has a bunch. I’ll bring you some, you big baby.” 

Olette smiled and tucked a piece of her brown hair over her ear. “So, Roxas. How about you? How’s summer? I haven’t seen you enough. The internship I was at was crazy but it went toward college credits, so I guess I shouldn’t complain, huh?” 

They entered the restaurant chattering amongst themselves and catching up. Despite Roxas admitting anything he really had missed them. He much preferred to hang out with all three of them together. It took a lot of the social pressure to interact off of Roxas. He liked that.

While everyone was ordering their burritos, Roxas waited in line behind his friends. He realized it had been entirely too long since he’d checked his phone. He was certain Sora would have sent him six texts. Two of which, would be emojis. He was surprised to find he didn’t even have a reply.

That wasn’t right. Sora always replied to Roxas right away or at least in the span of fifteen minutes. It wasn’t as though Sora had to jump on his texts but the lack of a response was odd to say the least. It didn’t sit right with the blonde. 

His puzzlement must have shown on his face because Olette touched his arm and he jumped, looking up. “Roxas? Its your turn to order. You okay?” She was concerned, which Olette was good at being but was gentle enough about the situation she never made Roxas feel embarrassed. 

“No. Nothing. Its fine. Sorry.” He gave a shrug and put his phone back into his pocket to order his barbacoa burrito and pay the young girl at the register. They got a table outside so that the manager who was working the grill stopped eyeing all three of their skateboards and Pence’s longboard as though they might start a riot at any moment. 

The group continued to talk amongst themselves and Roxas pulled out his burrito but didn’t eat it. He lit up a cigarette and texted Sora again.

‘Well gee; I didn’t know you were gonna get mad at me, Copper! Fine. You can come share my burrito, happy?’

Roxas knew that if calling Sora a Disney character didn’t rouse him, then nothing would. Apparently his concern shown on his face because Pence called him out on it.

“Hey, Roxas. Everything okay?” 

Roxas looked up and gave a shrug and a smile. “Probably. No worries.” He took a drag off of his cigarette to calm himself down.

“Speaking of…” said Pence with a smile, nodding at Roxas’ phone in his hands. “How’s Sora?”  Roxas exhaled the smoke in a laugh. Pence knew him well. It would be only a matter of time before one of them had asked. Hayner, of course, had to get his trademark teasing in while he lit up his own cigarette. 

“Yeah!” he said, pulling back his fork and aiming a chunk of rice at Roxas’ head, which he dodged out of reflex. “When’s the wedding?”

“Whatever, fucktard. If there was a wedding, which there is not, you wouldn’t be invited!” Roxas responded with a chuckle and a well adjusted middle finger as he blew smoke in Hayner’s direction.

Hayner grinned. “Bullshit. I had better, in fact, be the best man who gets to skateboard down the aisle, you little shit.” 

Roxas put his cigarette in his mouth and flicked his own forkful of beans at Hayner’s head and the boy responded by jumping up with an attempt to put Roxas in a head lock, both of them laughing and protecting their cigarettes with equal caution.

“Boys, boys, boys! I’m sure Roxas would invite us to his wedding and even if he didn’t, Sora would make sure we were on the guest list. Now, sit down before I eat both of your burritos.” She was smiling and shaking her head at them. Classic Mom Olette. Pence laughed. 

“Aw, my money was on Roxas!” he said with a grin.

Roxas and Hayner did finally make their way back to sitting and Roxas shrugged. “Sora’s fine, okay? He just…started college recently and I think his university is a little much for him. He’s not used to not being able to dazzle the entire student body with his presence.” Roxas smiled at the thought of outgoing Sora. He was always a popular guy everywhere he went. Not that Roxas didn’t know why.

“Well, tell him we said hey and he has to come visit us!! We tell you that all the time! I’ll bet you never even tell him we said that.” Pence whined and threw his hands up in the air. “I mean we still haven’t met him, Roxas!!” 

Roxas laughed again but Hayner scoffed and agreed. “He’s right, man. It’s about time we met your long distance…” He put his hands up to make the air quote motion as if any respected person in 2014 used air quotes. “‘Best Friend’.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Roxas grinned. “Now that you mention it, though, you might get to meet him after all.” 

Hayner froze and when he melted he practically flipped the table when he stood up in a rush. “You’re full of fucking shit!!” he shouted at Roxas, pointing directly at him, eyes wide, cigarette smoldering in his hand. “When? Where?! Here?!” 

Hayner had always been jealous of the fact that Roxas went to Disney World with Sora and not him. He never understood that when Sora came into town it was a rare occasion. Roxas wanted Sora to himself. He didn’t want to share the time with his best friend amongst his other friends. Roxas had been annoyed enough when Ventus had to tag along but there had been no ditching his cousin. 

Plus, Hayner, Pence and Olette weren’t able to connect with Roxas about Disney the way Sora could. He was much more comfortable going to Disney with someone he could lose his mind with. Hayner would have been supportive but with Roxas, it was a whole other ball game. 

Pence laughed. “Calm down, Hayner. I would guess, yeah, here! Right, Roxas?” 

Although Pence said it calmer, Roxas could see both he and Olette were excited at the prospect of meeting Sora too. Pence more so than Olette or perhaps she just hid it better. Pence was sitting on the edge of his seat, eyes and smile equally wide. 

“Well, he’s coming up a few days early…You know, before we start the internship at Disney in January. He’s gonna stay with me and my mom’s going to take us to the dorms when its time to check in. We have some plans for one of the days… but otherwise we’re free.” 

The blonde was vague about Sora and his plans. The last thing Roxas wanted to do was tell his friends about Downtown Disney. Hayner would insist on them all spending the day there and Roxas knew Sora and he were to be celebrating thirteen years of impossible long distance friendship. That shit was important and Sora wouldn’t stand for tag alongs either.

“Finally!!” Hayner shouted “Man I am so ready to meet the Jersey Boy.”

Hayner eventually managed to sit back down in his seat. 

 

 

 

Sora had not been enjoying college as well as he would have liked. He had been so excited to start. Sora hadn’t gotten stellar grades in high school but they weren’t bad either. Sora got along on his stunning personality. Teachers loved him, students loved him, office aides and coaches loved him. In college, however, it seemed he was off to a rough start and very far away from being ‘loved.’

When he had gone to register for his classes he had been so excited. The tall university main building had seemed like a new chapter, which made sense. He had reveled in the high ceilings and the lavish sitting area and the columns that adorned the lobby. He had beamed at the receptionist and his advisor had been perfectly friendly. 

Then of course, the actual start date of classes proved to be quite different. The main university building along with all the other buildings now seemed intimidatingly large. Why were they so tall in the first place? Did student’s learn better with vaulting ceilings and large windows? Who really knew. 

Sora took a deep breath and remembered that seconds before Roxas had texted him to ‘break both legs’ and he’d powered through the doorway to his very first college class. At least he’d be able to make some friends, right? Sure. That had to be the only reason he was nervous to begin with. Sora got his energy socially. He thrived on other people. Once he made some friends, surely, this college thing would seem a lot less brutal. 

He had Freshman 101 first anyways. Score. Surely lots of new kids would be looking for friends in that class, right?

What Sora discovered quickly was that the college kids just seemed annoyed with him. Nobody wanted to talk to him or hardly even laughed at his jokes. Sora was very popular in high school so much so that he wasn’t known as the class clown because he was too well respected. Here, everyone treated Sora’s jokes as an annoyance in the room. He was simply ‘that loud freshmen.’ It made no sense to him.

Nobody wanted to study with him and they seemed extra annoyed when he asked for a spare pencil or paper or if he didn’t understand something. No one sat with him in the dining hall. Actually, there was a lot of people sitting alone in the dining hall. Some of them were studying while they ate and some of them simply had headphones on. Others were crowded together in groups, laughing or going over notes or talking about the beginning of the semester frat parties. 

Sitting alone didn’t bode well with Sora. So much so, he stopped eating lunch. He didn’t have an appetite if there wasn’t anyone to talk to. He texted Roxas instead but Roxas had been rather busy with his own college prep work so replies were slow during the day. They always made sure to talk at night with an actual phone call but this was the first time Sora had been without company much during the day. Especially with his usual group of friends all of at their own respective colleges.

The final death blow was dealt on a late Monday afternoon a week after college classes had begun. Sora had a technical theatre class after lunch. He was really interested in his theatre classes. He was excited to get to acting and although he was still vying for Disney, they were still fun and interesting. He’d picked a good major for his parents to approve of while he worked toward his actual goal. 

However, on this day, he really should have just stayed in bed. 

After a morning of keeping quiet (Which was very hard for Sora and involved mostly, fidgeting and sighing loudly), the brunette was glad to get to theatre class because his theatre classmates were a lot more excitable and talkative. Sure, some of them still gave Sora odd stares when he got too loud or excited about something but it was a lot less incriminating than his academic classes. One boy even smiled at him and told him he liked his necklace. It was a Hercules necklace he’d had since he was thirteen and refused to part with. It was the Olympus Stone and Sora was fond of it.

Theatre kids seemed to be just as loud and exuberant as he was once they all got into the swing of things and that was very comforting for Sora.

Things were going okay, all things considered. He figured at some point he’d make a friend or two. One of the Juniors asked Sora halfway through the two hour class to adjust one of the lights on the first set of rigging. Sora had never done this before. He had no idea how to do this at all but he didn’t want anyone to think he had zero knowledge on the subject. The older student had even asked Sora if he was sure he was okay to do it. 

“What do you mean? Me? Of course! No worries!” He’d said it with such confidence.

And it wasn’t as though he was total lost cause. He had watched the tech crew in the high school plays move the lights a thousand times. Not that he had actually done it himself. Sora had acted in every high school play throughout high school even landing a lead role in his senior year. He’d never been on on the tech crew. 

He headed toward the ladder behind the set design that led to the rigging, regardless, with the most mock confidence he could muster. It wasn’t until he slipped on a wire, got his foot caught and came crashing through the other side of the beautifully painted backdrop that he realized he was a complete idiot for acting as though he knew what to do. It was known instantly that the backdrop was ultimately ruined and there was no covering it up or fixing it.

The upperclassmen were furious. Some of them had worked for weeks on that backdrop and now they had to start all over. They were so upset they took their case to the headmaster. Of course.

Sora didn’t know what to say to the headmaster other than several apologies all strung together in a beautifully crafted run on sentence. Besides, he already had kids calling him loud and immature and now to top it off they were calling him a klutz and a screw up at every passing opportunity. Now theatre class was just as bad, if not worse, than academics. Luckily, the headmaster didn’t punish him and said it was an accident due to lack of experience and warned him to be careful from then on. Even if his mother had used the F word throughout the visit. Why she was there in the first place like he was still in high school was anyone’s guess. 

Sora wasn’t liking college the way he had expected to. 

After an hour drive home, he collapsed on his bed and shouted obscenities into his pillow for ten minutes. He also cried but he’d never admit that part to anyone. Sora cried over everything, anyways. A trait he’d attributed as a child and held onto quite vigorously. 

He had pulled out his phone to text Roxas and hope for an immediate phone call back. However, the text he had already received from his best friend told him the boy had other plans. Sure, Roxas hung out with Hayner all the time but at least he had friends. Instead of making himself a social outcast at every given opportunity. 

He needed to talk to someone but his parents weren’t an option and his brother was back at his own college, several states away. Besides, he didn’t go to Vanitas with this kind of thing very often anyways.

To top it all off, his best friend was currently busy with other friends. Wonderful.

Sure, he could have called Tidus or maybe Garnet but Sora didn't feel like whining about his horrible college experience just to have to hear how wonderful of a time they were probably having. He certainly wasn't in the mood for that.

Sora flopped over onto his stomach and grabbed his Monster’s Inc. Sulley pillow pet and grumbled as he pulled it to his chest. Roxas was usually there for him and if they were best friends, why hadn’t he come straight home to tell Sora about his first day at college? Sora had done that with him. He had raced home to tell the blonde all about his day. 

Sora knew he was important to Roxas but in the utterly defeated state of disappointment he allowed himself to pout and be upset at his long distance friend for the time being. Objectively, Sora knew he was being a brat. Whiney and self involved. However, he couldn’t convince himself this was wrong enough to actually stop.

He laid on his bed and was decidedly upset at Roxas for a full thirty minutes. He didn’t text him back and he grumbled into his pillow pet. Until Roxas, inevitably, texted him again.

‘Well gee, I didn’t know you were gonna get mad at me, Copper! Fine. You can come share my burrito. Happy?’

Sora read the text over three times and his fingers worried at the screen’s keyboard. His ears turned red. That wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Roxas had called him Copper. How in the world could Sora not respond by calling Roxas Todd? After all, Sora was supposed to be mad at him. He always made being mad at him difficult. 

Roxas and Sora were not without fights. They had been friends for a very long time, after all. Long distance didn’t make things easy, either. Keeping up a friendship from so many miles away was a rather involved business. Tidus always told Sora he couldn’t believe that Roxas and him had stayed so close for so long. It was quite a feat.

They’d had a few fights that stood out. When they were younger they had a fight over which Pokemon was the best. It was their very first fight. Roxas wasn’t convinced that as the main face of the series, Pikachu was all that. Even at at age seven, he would say that Pikachu was ‘around too much’ which was his way of saying the Pokemon was ‘overrated’. Not that he knew the term quite yet. Roxas much preferred Charmander. Whereas, Sora, adored Pikachu dearly. 

They fought over this, on the phone, for hours, Sora crying throughout most of it. 

After Sora told Roxas he didn’t want to talk to him ever again, they both got quiet. Roxas proceeded to apologize to Sora for being mean about Pikachu while Sora sniffled on the other end and the two made up. 

Five minutes later it was as if nothing had ever occurred. 

They fought over trivial things like that as kids. When Sora started hanging out with Tidus a lot during middle school, Roxas grew jealous. After all, Sora was his best friend. His very best friend and who was this Tidus anyway? It wasn’t as though Roxas wouldn’t have hung out with Sora at school if he could have. What business did Tidus have taking up all of his friends time? It took Roxas awhile to get used to the fact he wasn’t Sora’s only friend.

Especially with Garnet. Sora recalled that Roxas grew a bit more distant in the months Garnet and he grew close during Freshmen year of high school. They still talked a lot but Roxas would get unapproachable and angry when Garnet was mentioned. The subject was usually changed like a shot out of a cannon. After awhile though, Sora found it best not to talk about Garnet with Roxas and not to talk about Roxas to Garnet. Both of them didn’t seem fond of the other, though, Sora never understood why. To be honest, he was pretty sure that Roxas didn’t understand why either.

Twice they had fought about something that Sora was really opinionated or passionate about that Vanitas and him did not agree on. Roxas had taken Vanitas’ side twice on these points and Sora had promptly started crying at the notion. Even when Roxas tried to take it carefully by stating he simply saw Vanitas’ point. 

Not that the same double standard didn’t apply to Ventus. If Sora agreed with Ventus, Roxas would grumble and proceed to be one worded. 

So they were not without fights. These, however, never lasted long. The longest fight they’d accumulated on record was only four hours long and over text. Once they’d arranged a phone call after dinner, they ironed things out fairly quickly. 

Currently, however, Sora had decided he was mad at Roxas. 

Sora justified this horribly act of selfish indulgence by reminding himself that he had a horrible week and that he probably deserved to drown in his misery as a newfound social outcast. He wasn’t used to this and perhaps that was bratty of him as well. People in high school had always liked him. He’d gotten along with everyone. Sure, he had mess up’s like he had with the set on stage in theatre class that day but he was still a very likable kid. 

Sora tossed his phone to the side on his bed and sighed into his pillow pet. He tried not to cry about it. 

College was supposed to be fun and exciting. Sora was supposed to have a slew of new friends waiting for him. Instead, this wasn’t the case at all. The opposite, in fact. 

Unfortunately for Sora, being mad at Roxas wasn’t working out too well for him. Because regardless of wanting to be mad at his best friend for not racing home to talk to him and reassure him, Sora still wanted to text Roxas every two minutes. 

However, Selfish Sora did not want to text Roxas at all and wanted the blonde to be well aware that he was, in fact, angry and that it was, in fact, directed at him. This was something Sora also recognized as wrong. Selfish Sora did not. 

Selfish Sora decided to turn his television on and boot up his Nintendo and play Wind Waker. He figured this way he would be distracted from not only his misery, but his want to text Roxas. 

This lasted twenty minutes, all while the brunette kept glancing at his phone. 

Finally, he supposed Selfish Sora had his fun and picked up his phone to text his best friend.

‘I’ve had a really shit day. When are you coming home?’

No emoji’s, no exclamation points. It wasn’t a normal Sora text but it would have to do. Lucky for him, Roxas wasted no time responding with quite a sense of urgency. Sora didn’t know why he, himself, had to be such a brat. Why in the world was he mad at Roxas in the first place?

‘Are you okay? Hold the presses. I’m ditching the gang. I’m on the way home right now !!’

That stupid, dumb, blonde idiot. How dare he drop everything to rush home and how dare he seem so concerned. How could Sora possible be selfish, bitter and angry at him if he intended on being such a good friend?

It took Roxas twenty seven minutes to get home, all while, he reassured Sora he was on the way. Sora knew this because he counted. 

It took five more for the phone to ring and less then a second for Sora to answer it.

“Hi.” Sora said it carefully, a tinge of bitter resentment at himself more than Roxas. 

“Hey, man!! What’s good? I just managed to ditch Hayner. That kid will not quit. He could sell drugs to a narcotics squad; he’s so pushy!” Roxas was slightly out of breath. There was the sound of a door closing and the muffled and distinct floundering of the blonde throwing his skateboard on the floor and shoving off his shoes without untying the laces. “I’m sorry about earlier. He cornered me, but that’s a story for another time. I should’ve known something was eating you.”

Sora didn’t say anything at first. The phone was balanced expertly against his shoulder and his ear, head tilted to one side and hands occupied by a bright purple gamecube controller. The music of Dragon Roost Isle playing quietly through the television speakers while Sora took all of this in. 

When Sora heard Roxas, he deflated and all was forgiven.

The brunette flopped quite dramatically backwards onto his pillow, abandoning his game and picked up the phone properly because this was to be a very extensive and important conversation. 

“You will not believe my shit day today. The icing was put on the cake, Roxas. The grand slam. The death blow. I have officially and completely destroyed myself socially at college and you…were out…eating…burritos!!”

Sora said the last lines of his rant to Roxas very spaced out and very dramatically. Although Sora couldn’t see it, he knew Roxas too well to not think of the blonde rolling his eyes. But he really needed Roxas to understand that his wasn’t his normal level of exaggerating exuberance. He was serious. Dead serious. 

“Okay…” Roxas said slowly as he took this information in. “Before you begin to explain this shit day to me, please note, I had but one burrito. And it was a damn good burrito. I’d like you to not insult it, quite frankly, the burrito doesn’t deserve it.” 

Sora scoffed and would have crossed his arms if he wasn’t holding the phone and slouched down on his bed. “Roxas, I’m serious! It was really really bad and now everyone at school hates me! I mean, they already hated me, but now they have a real reason to hate me and they’re using it!” 

Sora could hear the sounds of the freezer door opening on a fridge and a lot of rummaging around before Roxas answered. “Okay, alright. Lemme retreat to my room and you can lose your mind, deal?” 

Sora didn’t have to guess at what Roxas was getting out of his freezer. The blonde ate practically twenty popsicles a day. It was an addiction, really. What Sora hated was that he chewed on the sticks afterwards, but that was a thought process for another time. “Burritos and ice cream at a time like this. What kind of friend are you?!” 

“I eat a lot. Get over it.”

“Yet you’re still really scrawny. I hate skater kids.” 

“For once, he admits I can skate.”

“I never said that. Don’t get ahead of yourself, asshole.”

Roxas laughed and although this action should have made Sora want to tear his hair out (Because to be quite honest Roxas wasn’t taking this delicate situation seriously at all.), it didn’t. In fact, the brunette did the opposite and when his best friend laughed, he relaxed slightly more against his pillows. Sora took a deep breath. Roxas’ laugh definitely jolted the last bit of Selfish Sora right out of the brunette. He hardly remembered being upset at him in the first place.

“Well.” Roxas started, carefully. “I can tell you’re really upset. You never swear unless something is really fucking getting to you. Unlike, some of us.” Sora could hear him unwrapping his popsicle. His mom only ever bought the standard ice pops because Roxas went through them so fast and they were the cheapest. Sora wondered which he’d snagged this time. He was betting on yellow or blue. Roxas liked the banana ones the best. 

“Yeah, well not all of us can have such a colorful vocab. Honestly, I think you and I were born into the wrong family. You swear as much as they do!” 

Roxas chuckled and Sora could picture him shrugging to go along with it. “I wish my mom swore at all. If I dropped an F bomb in front of her, please note, that you’ll never hear from my sorry ass again.” 

Sora smiled, his first of the day. Roxas was right. His mother, Mrs. Keating, would probably ground her son for the rest of his life and spend exactly two hours lecturing him on why he was grounded every single day going forward. She was a sweet woman and very doting but to get on her bad side meant death or worse. 

Finally, Sora could hear his best friend settling in on his springy mattress. Sora had only seen pictures of Roxas’ room or discerned things from selfies posted haphazardly onto social media. However, he had a pretty good idea of the blonde’s location and general look. Messy, bed head hair, gelled to the side and a loose tank top falling off of one shoulder. Popsicle in one hand, phone in the other. Ready for Sora to spill his story. Every second of it. The best thing about Roxas listening was that he really listened. He always let Sora go on and on until the boy had his fill. He never said a word or uttered a sound. But that was how Sora knew he was really listening. The conversation that followed always proved this to be correct. Roxas was quiet, but he took in everything.

“Alright, Mousekateer. Spill. What was so bad about your, quote on quote, shit day? Tell me everything.”

 

So, Sora did. 

He spent exactly an hour and a half telling Roxas his very dramatic and detailed story. Sure he may have made some embellishments here and there, but what kind of story would it be without them? Roxas was used to that anyhow, Sora was sure of it. 

At the end of all of his rambling and ranting, Sora realized he had tears in the corners of his eyes. This was a natural occurrence and he quickly swept them to the side to heave a large sigh through the phones mouthpiece. 

 

Silence followed for a good twenty-five seconds until Sora groaned.

“Roxas!! Were you listening at all?! You were, right?”

Roxas’ reply was immediate and full. You could tell by his urgency and defensive tone that he was sitting on his bed doing nothing else. Sora had his full attention. 

“Of course I am, Sora! You’ve been going on for more than an hour. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Sora sputtered and rolled around on his bed for dramatic effect. “Okay, okay. I just wanted to make sure. So…say something!!”

Roxas sighed and Sora imagined he was running a hand through his intentional messy hair before he gave his best friend a reply. Roxas was very good at listening and very good at advice. He’d gotten Sora through plenty of nonsense before. Especially throughout high school. Therefore, the brunette was poised on his bed with bated breath for the blonde’s response.

Sora was always there for Roxas, as well. However, it would seem Sora got into a lot more jams and Roxas was a lot less vocal about his problems. He had a very ‘I suppose I have to deal with this’ attitude. Sora found this endearing and envied such an ability. 

“Man…I don’t know. I’m sorry. I know you were super fuckin’ stoked about college. It does suck that you’re getting a shitty start.”

Sora didn’t say anything and instead opted to pick at a hangnail on one of his toes. 

“But, I mean…That doesn’t mean it won’t continue to suck. You’re just starting out. I’m sure the kids who worked on that stupid back drop will get over it eventually. Besides, maybe the new back drop will look even better and they’ll thank you and apologize for being assholes.”

Sora tried not to smile, but he couldn’t help a small one that twitched at the corners of his mouth. “You think so? I mean…I offered to help them with the new one but they told me I’d just be in the way…”

Roxas blew air out through his teeth. “Dude, fuck them. Just lay low for awhile okay? I know that isn’t your specialty but I bet you in a week this will all blow over. Unfortunately I’m not seeing many differences between college and high school. You go, you do your work and kids are just as fucking annoying, if not more, than they were in high school. Apparently the drama boat just sailed right on along with us.”

Sora did have to agree on that front. You were painted a very beautiful college picture in high school. It was almost considered your reward for working so hard throughout your four years. You go to a good school and have the time of your life and you get a good job. People would even categorize certain well known schools as ‘party schools’ and aim for those. 

You worked very hard in college but you had a blast doing it. Sora, however, felt that the picture was a bit skewed. The idea that you were an adult now didn’t seem to register as well as it should have with the rest of the school’s population. Maybe he’d worked too hard and just ended up at a school with a lot of stuck up rich kids. He wasn’t sure. 

“Maybe I’m just an idiot and that’s why nobody wants to be my friend.” Sora was sulking and he knew it. He didn’t even have much to defend himself with so he backtracked instead. “I mean…Ugh. I don’t know. Vanitas didn’t seem to have a problem when he went to college. Do you think it’s because I’m not staying in the dorms like he did?” 

Vanitas had flourished at college. He made friends very easily and succeeded wildly at his major. He simply took off with his new college life in ways he had not in high school. Maybe that was the difference. Sora ran his free hand over his face in exaggerated worry. Before Roxas could reply to his previous sentence, he decided to take another route. 

“Roxas, what if, because I made so many friends in high school and had so much fun I can’t have fun in college? What if I ran my course already? What if…Roxas…what if high school was my…golden age?!”

Roxas groaned loudly over the phone.

“Sora, that is the dumbest shit you have ever said and you say a lot of dumb shit. I promise that wasn’t the case, man. That’s definitely not how life works.”

“But think about it, Rox!! Vanitas was so bad in high school and, I mean, sure, he had friends and his grades were really good but like…He was so good in college!! He’s on the Dean’s List and he has a million Mortuary buddies and he did that internship in France for a semester!!”

Roxas made a ‘Mmhm’ noise over the line as though he was letting Sora get his rant out in the open before he formed a proper response.

“He’s almost done and he had a blast in college!! But, I had a blast in high school!! So what if…What if my good times are over?!” Sora threw his free hand up in the air and then collapsed back against in pillows in agonizing defeat. He let his free hand fall across his eyes and sighed as though the entire sky might open up and suck him into it. 

“Sora.” Roxas said very calmly. “Shut up.” 

Sora moaned a string of incomprehensible grumblings through his phone, arm still lying haphazardly across his face. 

“You’re not gonna die. Remember when Mike went to college? And it was a fucking mess from start to finish? But Sulley and him worked it out anyhow?” 

Monsters University. Of course he remembered that. He’d seen it in theaters three times. Sora moaned at that, too, however.

“Roxas!! I don’t want to end up in the mail room at Disney!!” 

Roxas laughed. “I don’t even think Disney has a mail room, Sora! Besides, that isn’t what I meant. I mean…Give it some time. You might end up liking it. It’s only been two weeks. You just have to get through the holidays, anyhow. Relax and lay low for awhile. I know that isn’t your style, like I said. But, give it a go okay? Have I ever steered you wrong?”

Sora finally let his arm slide off of his face and he gave another start of a smile. 

“Yes. Several times in fact. Remember when you told me to say the word ‘moist’ a whole bunch around Tidus until he cracked? He punched me in the stomach when he realized I was doing it on purpose.”

“Well…”

“Or the time you said it was okay to dye my bangs with Kool-Aid and I did it and it turned a really weird pink color but wouldn’t come out?”

“Yeah…but that was-“

“Or the time that you said to blow on my Little Mermaid cassette tape to get it to work but then it played backwards and sounded like Satan himself was coming for me!?”

“Okay…I get it but this is -“

“Or that time that-“

“Sora!!! You're an idiot!! I get it!! Fuck me…” 

Sora finally laughed. Full bodied and open. He sat up, his trademark smile back where it belonged and a slight shine to the pin pricks of tears in the corners of his blue eyes. Roxas always knew how to make him feel better. 

“I do get it, though. Thanks, Roxas.”

Roxas made a psh noise over the phone. “Shutup, Sora. You’re fucking stupid. I can see your stupid smile right now. That’s what you're doing, isn’t it? Smiling and crying.”

Sora immediately made a terribly sour face and forced frown before replying as though Roxas could see him.

“Absolutely not. I am completely serious. I am always completely serious, Roxas. The name Sora is synonymous with serious. You look up ‘Sora’ in the dictionary and there’s a picture of me in a suit and tie. No funny business. Just business.” 

Roxas was laughing now. “Sure, Sora. Along with your glow in the dark stars. Mr. No Nonsense with his red and blue room.”

“Man, why are you always bagging on my color scheme? This place is prime! Besides, at least some of us don’t have the beginnings of an intense Tsum tsum collection.” 

Roxas choked on the remainder of his third popsicle since the conversation had begun. “That…is not true!! I mean…Okay…Listen, you’re just jealous because I have the high score on the app! Tsum tsum’s….are cool, Sora. They’re the coolest shit!”

Sora chuckled “Is that why you hide them in your closet?”

Roxas made an exaggerated gasping noise. “I can’t believe you would accuse me of such slander.”

“Suuuure. Slander. Does Hayner know about your secret Tsum tsum closet collection? Free them. Let them breathe, Roxas.”

“You’re getting such a fucking ass kicking when I see you. How dare you bring my tsum’s into this.”

“How dare you call them ‘your tsum’s.’ “

The conversation continued like this for hours more. Sora didn’t need to thank Roxas again for his advice nor did he need more of it. He realized, as he usually did when it came to this type of thing, that he just needed to talk about it. Roxas was always around to listen and throw him tidbits of advice where he needed it. Which was exactly what he did need. He felt better just getting things off of his chest to the blonde. That was all he really needed. Although Roxas’ advice was usually nothing exuberant, he was still usually right. Sora just needed that extra reminder.

“So, hey, wait a minute…What about your first day of class?” Sora realized that in his fit of selfish indulgence, he hadn’t once asked Roxas how his first day of college had went. Although, the blonde hadn’t come home in an hurry to talk about it. That could either mean it went incredibly well or incredibly awful. Either way, Sora felt guilty for putting his needs before anyone else’s. Selfish Sora had been pretty adamant that he mattered most. 

Roxas gave a series of sighs and other strangled noises over the phone’s connection that Sora found mostly to be teasing. The blonde then repositioned himself on his mattress before forming a proper reply. 

 

“It was school, man. I dunno. It doesn’t seem to have changed much from high school for me. Except I can keep my phone out on my desk and text whenever I want without a teacher clearing her throat. The anarchy. I might even try and put my shoes up on my desk tomorrow. Or…table.” Roxas paused and added to his sentence as an after thought. “What is up with that? There’s a significant change. Now we all sit at tables like best friends instead of desks in some classes. Joy.” 

Sora smiled. He could picture Roxas rolling his eyes and maybe roughing up the back of his hair, his trademark nervous habit. He wondered if Roxas had finished another popsicle and was thinking about another or if his skateboard was haphazardly thrown on the floor or sitting carefully placed on the end of the boy’s bed. 

He also wondered if Roxas’ skate wheels were still blue or he’d switched them out for the green ones. Sometimes Sora could hear Roxas tinkering with his skate tools. A distorted reply given because he had a miniature screw drive between his teeth. Something about the trucks being too loose or the grip tape curling off in a particular place that it had skittered across the pavement. 

“Well…you met up with Hayner afterwards, didn’t you?”

“More like Hayner met up with me…which, no. More like Hayner crashed into me.” 

“Same school?”

“Yup. He weaseled my schedule out of me so now I’m doomed to spend time with him for the rest of eternity.”

“What a tragedy.”

“I know!!”

There was a pause that was mostly filled with the sounds of the two boys chuckling and light breaths. A short silence in which Sora debated on whether he wanted to play either Wind Waker or Super Mario Sunshine. (Because Nintendo was his favorite and the Gamecube was a legacy in its own. The Wii just couldn't compare.) 

He was just about to announce to Roxas that he figured this Halloween he would be Link again, when the blonde broke him out of his train of video game indulged thought.

“Hey, Sora?” 

Sora paused because Roxas sounding genuine always startled him. It wasn’t a familiar sound. It was something that came unpredicted and abruptly, much like it had in that very moment. It was careful and soft; something that Roxas’ nature was entirely devoid of, for the most part. It wasn’t unwelcome, just unexpected.

“…Yeah?” Sora answered cautiously because Roxas could mean a number of things. The boy could, in fact, be genuine or he could be lining Sora up for a joke. Maybe something to tease the kid with because, lets face it, Sora was very gullible, a trait he accepted about himself. Sometimes Roxas would use this tone of voice, get exceptionally embarrassed over whatever it was he was about to say and trail off with something along the lines of ‘Just wanted to remind you that you’re an idiot.’

However, this time, at least, Roxas instead surprised Sora again.

“…I miss you.” 

It was quiet, almost a whisper with the way to fell across the phone’s connection. There was an embarrassed lilt behind it and Sora could practically see his best friend’s ears turning bright red at the prospect. Sora always found this hilarious. When Roxas blushed it went straight to his ears. Not that he saw him do it very often. The blonde kept that under wraps. 

Sora didn’t say anything for a moment, still half expecting Roxas to chide him or shield his emotionally vulnerable blunder with a snide remark and a half assed cover. Instead, Sora was met with as much silence as he returned. 

For fear of the conversation evolving farther into the awkward state it was developing, Sora coughed and laughed; a bit of a nervous sound to it. He wasn't used to Roxas being so forward or sincere. 

“…Wow, man. What are you? Some kind of girl?” If Roxas wasn't going to turn this into a joke, he figured it was probably his job.

Roxas made a ‘tch’ sound on the other end of the line. He had to be pouting. Blushing and pouting? Score.

“I mean that sounds pretty…” Sora dragged out the last word slowly and carefully.

 “Don’t.”

“Gay.”

“Shut up, asshole. You’re gay.” 

“Jeeze, Roxas. Why’re you such a homo?”

“Fuck off, Sora!”

They were laughing, though. That’s what mattered. Whatever awkward monster had been rearing its head, dipped down; discouraged. It couldn’t compete with that. The conversation continued with light teasing and chuckling before evolving into a discussion about the upcoming holidays and the fact that Roxas adored Autumn, even if Florida didn’t get Autumn like he wanted. Which then, of course, evolved into the talk of seasons and eventually and ultimately propelled itself toward what Disney World looked like during the main holidays. 

What Sora would never admit to, was the fact that when Roxas told Sora that he missed him and was undoubtedly blushing somewhere among the sun kissed palm trees and fire ant infested lawns of Florida…Sora, across all the miles between, was blushing too. Full and immediate red dancing across his tan cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a bunch of losers, honestly. Get PUMPED for the next one, guys!!! Sora is off to Florida!
> 
> So am I!! I'm going to Disney World next week with my girlfriend and there is nothing more motivating and fucking EXCITING THAN THAT????


	5. Assemble

The year petered out with a quiet wave and not too much more to say on the matter. Roxas reveled in the Autumn months, adoring the change of leaves and subtle array of pumpkin’s on doorsteps and front porches. Halloween silently waiting in the wings to take center stage as it had all year. Roxas felt at home during the fall. The weather wasn’t too hot nor too cold and the smell in the air made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with some sort of familiar yearning. Roxas lived for Autumn. 

He attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party at Magic Kingdom without fail every year. This was one of the events that Sora had never attended. The entirety of the iconic park was decorated from top to bottom in Halloween attire. Pumpkins, spiders, goblins and ghouls lined the streets and pathways. The villains were seen out and about more often than any other event and most of the characters were dressed in spooky garb.  
 This event was attended to after hours and required a separate ticket to enjoy. The event began after the park’s regular closing at 7pm and lasted until midnight. Guest’s are encouraged to come in costumes and trick or treating spots are set up throughout the park. 

Hayner, Pence and Olette usually accompanied Roxas to this event, all adorning different Halloween costumes and collecting as much candy as they could. They’d developed a game to split up during the beginning of the night into teams to collect candy at all of the trick or treating spots set up in the park. They would then meet back up just before Mickey’s Boo To You Halloween parade in front of the castle at 11:00pm and count out the candy to see who had won. This year it was Olette and Roxas, much to Hayner’s dismay.

This was Roxas’ element. He always told Sora how this was his favorite way to see the park. Nothing was quite as good as seeing the Halloween wonderland Disney put together. Nobody did it quite as well.

Sora on the other hand, didn’t revel in Halloween the way that Roxas did. Sure, he loved the holiday and found it all in good fun. (Even if he dared never to admit that he was easy to scare.) Besides, who didn’t love all of that free candy and dressing up? Sora certainly loved the Halloween a great deal.

However, for the tan brunette, nothing could compare to Christmas. Sora loved everything about the holidays. He started singing Christmas carols in November and began to decorate before Thanksgiving. Every year his poor father would try and get away with not putting out Christmas lights. After all, both of his sons were old enough now that it shouldn’t matter one way or another if they lit up their suburban Jersey home. 

However, Sora would not be deterred and eventually, every year without fail, Dominick was bullied by his youngest son to get the boxes and ladder out of the garage. 

The house was always covered in red and green lights and shining like its own personal Christmas tree on December 1st. Sora started asking about the Christmas lights usually around the middle of November. The neighborhood expected the house lit by the first of the month. They started the trend every year thanks to Sora.

Sora had never been to Disney World during the holidays.Which was unfortunate, because Sora would spend hours Googling images of the park during it’s Christmas Bash. He would have loved to attend the park and see it decorated for the holidays.

Disney was a summer trip the family usually took. The earliest they would attend would be Spring. The only event that Sora had attended was with the Senior Band Trip in April of the previous year. He’d managed to go to Epcot one day and see the topiaries during the Garden Festival. Roxas had skipped school just to go down to Orlando and run around the park with Sora and his friends on their free day.

Sora made his own fun at home during the winter holidays, of course. He didn’t have to push his mom to decorate the house like a winter wonderland. She was more than willing. Sora figured she was glad that she had at least one other person in the house who got just as excited over Christmas.

They would spend a day laying out her carefully collected Santa Claus Statue collection while Sora would pull out the snowmen he had collected over the years. They would line the house with pictures of past Christmas’ in themed frames and adorn nooks and corners with miniature, fake pine trees dripping with fake snow. Sora would put window clings in the front windows and string popcorn with his family for the tree.

Sometime during the third rendition of ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’, Vanitas would come out of his room and stop burying himself in his headphones to help decorate the tree. Decorating the tree was a family affair. They’d light a fire in the fireplace and drink hot chocolate as a family while they decorated the tree for the season. 

A few times it had snowed during this event. Sora had cried all of those times. 

Every year on Christmas morning Sora would open his gifts with gusto and excitement. His mother would write ‘To: Sora, From: Santa Claus’ on some of his packages, which, still made him shout. When all was said and done, the living room was a decimated war zone of wrapping paper and discarded cardboard boxes and each boy had a pile of loot with their respective tastes to separate them. Cups of half drunken coffee and plate of equally half eaten gingerbread cookies left forgotten on the coffee table in the middle of this. 

Sora would always look at this scene, the tree twinkling in the morning light, and cry. He’d cry and thank his mother and father for everything. Never would she admit this, but his mother got teary eyed every year when this occurred. (Which it did. Without fail.) She didn’t know how she got so lucky to have such wonderful son’s. 

Sora always managed to drag Vanitas out into the snow at least once a year. Van could never resist beating Sora rather splendidly at the snowball fight that the younger proposed.

Roxas’ holidays were much quieter. Perhaps it was that money didn’t go around as easy for Roxas and his mother or perhaps it was just that Roxas found the holidays to be comforting and quiet. Sora didn’t like anything quiet about the holidays except the snow. 

Roxas may not have had snow but his mother and him still made the most of Christmas. Every single year since Roxas’ was two, his mother and he had ventured out to a tree farm to obtain a live tree for the living room. They picked it together, every year without fail.

Much like Sora’s family, they would then make hot chocolate and decorate the tree together; Christmas music playing merrily in the background. Roxas really adored these moments with his mother. It was when they truly got to spend time together. Ventus had been there for some of them because there were years where his parents did not decorate the house because they knew they wouldn’t be home to enjoy it. 

Roxas usually didn’t get near as much as Sora did on Christmas but what he did get he was extremely grateful for. He always managed to pull some money together to buy his mother something, as well. Which, coincidentally, was his favorite part about the holidays. He just always wished he could give her more. 

After Christmas morning was said and done with both boys, though miles apart, would rocket into their rooms to discuss the day and wish each other a Happy Holidays. They always got each other something and it was usually sent in the mail. There was a lot of discussion and teasing about when the respective items would arrive.

The holidays came and went much like they did all of the years previous. Both boys were so distracted by school and the rush of family and friend events that they didn’t have much time to focus on the fact that their internships at Disney were upcoming. Roxas even managed to obtain his license during the holiday break. Although, he didn’t have a car, his mother gave him permission to use hers whenever she didn’t need it. 

One particular day in January, during a sentence Roxas was uttering about getting his lip pierced after the internship, Sora remembered that he’d be in Disney in two weeks and yelled so loud that Roxas’ initial reaction was to yell back. Luckily, Roxas had remembered to turn his volume down on his phone before calling Sora. 

Sora and Roxas’ Disney Start Day was waiting to pounce. They were both ecstatic. Sora louder than Roxas on the subject. 

Vanitas had spent a large amount of the holidays between his excessive computer gaming of badgering Sora about his life decisions. This was useless, of course. It would seem that the black haired boy was absolutely out of time. It was the night before Sora’s departure to Florida where Roxas was to pick him up at the airport. The Florida boy had somehow managed to get his mother’s permission to use the car and was very excited about getting to pick up his best friend at the airport alone. 

“Sora…You know that anything you don’t have we can just mail you, right? Also…you aren’t moving indefinitely and everything you leave will be here when you get back. I mean unless I decide to sell it all. But I’ll let you know in a detailed letter.” 

Vanitas was leaning against his younger brother’s doorframe watching the smaller boy race around his room like a tiny worker bee, piling a ridiculous amount of clothing into a bag that was much to small.

“Shut up, Van. It’ll be fine!! Besides, I’m going to be there for, like, ever and I have to have clothes to do stuff outside of working!! I mean, I’m going to do other stuff too. Roxas said the Orlando mall is huge!”

Vanitas sighed and crossed his arms. “That’s what you’re going to do in your spare time in Orlando, Sora? Go to the mall? Fucking exhilarating.”

Sora thought about pausing to stick his tongue out to his well deserving older brother, but he really didn’t have the time for such nonsense. He had a lot more things to pack and not enough time to do it, as far as he was concerned. Sora was a master of procrastination and not even the excitement of seeing Roxas and working at Disney for a year had pushed him to pack ahead of time.

“We’re going to the beach. Roxas said he can’t keep his mom’s car but she can pick us up on our days off sometimes. I guess Ventus can drive now, too!!” 

“Yeah. A green Honda. It just keeps making a weird noise in the front if he goes over 70.”

Vanitas answered so fast that Sora paused to raise an eyebrow.

“I mean…” The older boy coughed, agitated and glared at something invisible to Sora in the hallway. “He put a photo on Facebook. Don’t make it fucking weird.” 

The younger boy blinked and shrugged animatedly before continuing on with what he was doing. He didn’t have time to ponder on his older brother’s weird relationship with his best friend’s cousin. He knew they kept in contact since meeting many summers ago on one of their Disney vacations but, to the extent, Sora wasn’t sure. 

Sora’s mom had made him a list of essentials to bring with him on his trip. However, he had told her that this was unnecessary and he was eighteen and didn’t require his mother to make him a list like a child. He was an adult with a full semester of college under his belt. He could handle this.

Of course, it didn’t hurt to look it over once in awhile, right? He could have easily made his own list. Maybe he would have if his mother hadn’t been so eager. Yeah, of course. 

Sora paused in his frantic packing and list checking with a realization. He blinked up at his older brother leaning in the doorframe. 

“Van…”

“Mm?”

“if you aren’t going to…you know, help…Then can you go do something?”

Vanitas rose a dark eyebrow at Sora carefully. “Why? Am I fucking bothering you?”

“Yes.”

Vanitas smirked. “Why?” 

“Because you’re leaning in the doorway all quiet and weird. Just go away.”

Vanitas stretched his arms out and put them behind his head, leaning more into the frame of the door, a smirk slowly forming on his features. “Nah.”

Sora muttered a string of curse words but knew better than to tackle his older brother out into the hallway. Besides, he needed Vanitas to drive him the airport the following morning. Better to have him do it in a good mood. Though, his older brother’s mood could change on a dime. He’d been a master of that for years.

“You know, Sora. The way you stress out is really a talent. Nervous about seeing Roxas?”

Sora dropped his photo of his friends and himself on his foot. 

“Ow! Fuck! Vanitas, no!! Why would I be nervous about seeing Roxas? I’ve seen Roxas a million times.”

“Yeah, but this is the first time you’ll be staying with him at his house. Not to mention working with him and seeing him every day for months.”

Sora grumbled about Vanitas minding his own goddamned business while practically laying on top of his suitcase to try and get it to close. 

“I’m not nervous!! That’s not what this is!”

Vanitas pushed off from the door frame at that information. He eyed Sora with a curious and careful stare. “Not what this is, huh? What’s ‘this’?”

Sora continued to grumble and struggle with his suitcase, avoiding looking at Vanitas at all costs while he did so. He could feel his cheeks burning. Great. How could they betray him like this? “I’m not nervous!! I’m just excited, okay? Of course I want to see Roxas every day and of course I want to stay at his house and work with him. It’s not…a big…deal!” 

Sora shouted with the annoyance of getting his suitcase to close in a big huff. The zipper was more than halfway there, but not quite reaching the other end. Vanitas rolled his eyes. “Maybe if you had bothered to fold anything, I could interrogate you properly.”

“What are you interrogating me about? There’s nothing to interrogate!! I’m…I’m just…I feel…I’m just excited!! I’m not nervous. They’re similar emotions, Vanitas, god!!”

Vanitas rose his voice an octave or two and scrunched up his face to mimic his younger brother. “Okay, Sora, god!” 

“Shut up, asshole. Don’t you have anything better to do than bother me?”

Vanitas leveled Sora with a smile that was almost endearing if the younger brother didn’t know better. “Sora…” he said, sickly sweet and dripping with sarcastic coated honey. “There is absolutely nothing in this world I would rather be doing than bothering you. Nothing.”

Sora let out a low growl of frustration before throwing one of his mini Frozen Tsum tsum’s (The Hans one. He made sure) at Vanitas’ head. When they were younger, Sora never let any of this Disney possessions wind up in his older brother’s vicinity. When Vanitas, as a child, saw Toy Story he instantly loved Sid. Therefore he went through a phase of taking apart toys (Mostly Sora’s) and either blowing them up with fireworks in the backyard or reconstructing them. Luckily, this lasted about two months before Vanitas tired of it and moved onto other things. 

Although, Sora still felt tense whenever his older brother looked at a toy of his for too long.

Vanitas continued to bother Sora for another two hours before he was satisfied enough to let his little brother get some shut eye before his big day in the morning. Not that Sora would sleep much at all. 

In fact, he ended up calling Roxas, of course. The phone call lasted a good three hours but once the lights were out and Sora was in bed, he tossed and turned before texting Roxas for another hour at least. By the time Sora finally fell into a fitful and excited sleep, it was well past three in the morning. 

 

 

7am delivered itself to New Jersey; snow laying quietly on the ground from where it had come in the middle of the night. January was taking its toll on the Jersey coast and Sora was groaning before his alarm even went off. He had a 9am flight which meant he had to be at the airport by eight. He snuggled further under his blankets regretting his early morning conversations about beaches being tourist traps with Roxas instantly. The blonde must not have been able to sleep either. Then again, Roxas never slept, regardless. 

Sora let himself lay around for a good five more minutes until he, begrudgingly, dragged himself up from his warm and comforting bed to stalk, shivering, into the bathroom. He blinked at his bedraggled bed head shooting out in every direction around his face. He rubbed his eyes and pushed his mess of hair around until he could see more effectively. 

After this morning ritual was complete he opened the door to his room and realized that the house was very quiet. It was a Saturday so his father didn’t have work. Van was home for the college break he was still enjoying for the next few days and although he was driving Sora to the airport, he wasn’t quite awake just yet. This was assuredly due to the fact Vanitas stayed up into the early hours of the morning playing games online with his friends. Online games weren’t something Sora could ever get into. He was a Nintendo kid through and through. However, Vanitas was addicted to both League of Legends and World of Warcraft, respectively. Must have been all of that Runescape as a child.

Regardless, Sora hadn’t seen the house this quiet for awhile. He walked across the soft rug quietly and crossed over the balcony style landing with a soft yawn. As he started his decent down the stairs, he saw the Christmas tree was still on and shining brightly in the living room. The lights twinkled up at him with a quiet good morning and he smiled. Sora’s parents always left the tree up pretty late, however New Years had only been a week ago. 

The brunette headed for the kitchen. Despite his exhausted state Sora’s stomach was always growling when he woke up. He didn’t like to disturb the house on the phone with Roxas at odd hours of the morning by entering the kitchen so he usually never snacked past dinner. 

Sora adored cereal and took a full three minutes to decide which he was to eat that morning. He settled on Frosted Flakes and tried to be quiet when he took a bowl down from the cabinet. 

Around the third spoonful, Sora had a very interesting and exciting revelation. Due to this lack of sleep and lack of food and because the house was so quiet and the snow outside was very distracting, Sora had nearly forgotten the events which were to take place on that very special day. 

When he made this realization he made a very startled shout that petered out into a gurgle because of course not only was his mouth filled with cereal but his entire house was sleeping. He definitely didn’t want to be the one to wake his father up on his day off. He’d said his goodbyes to his parents the night before. 

Instead, he figured it was okay (And about time) to wake up Vanitas. So if anyone had to deal with Sora’s burst of utter excitement, it was his older brother.

He finished his cereal quickly and texted Roxas. ‘ITS TODAY. SEE YOU LATER, YOU BIG IDIOT.’ After this text was sent he immediately added another as an after thought that read: ‘I NEVER GET TO SAY THAT AND I GET TO SAY IT ALL THE TIME NOW. SEE YOU LATER!!’ Sora sent several emoji’s attached to that. He knew Roxas was sound asleep and he wouldn’t hear from the boy for awhile, but he figured those would suffice for him to wake up to. 

He then raced down the stairs, taking them in two’s before he landed gracefully in front of the basement’s white door. He cleared his throat and grinned before holding his breath to slowly wiggle the knob. Success. It was unlocked. Sora did a small and quiet victory dance on the landing. Vanitas almost always locked the finished basement’s door when he occupied it. 

He peeked inside, eyes scanning across the dark space to the small amount of light that shone through the basement’s half windows. Sora, unfortunately, was viewing the large sectional couch from the back. He couldn’t see if his brother was awake or passed out on it.

He ventured further into the room. A few of Vanitas’ T-shirts were on the ground and his suitcase was propped open on the card table across the room. Since junior year of college, Vanitas rented out a house on campus with a bunch of other boys. Sora only knew of Vincent Valentine (Which he was convinced wasn’t his real name. It couldn’t be. There was no way.), who was in the same major as Vanitas. They were best friends. 

Their father had turned Vanita’s old room, which was next to Sora’s in the hallway, into his own personal haven. His father had moved his desktop computer from Sora’s parent’s room into that room and fished an old television out of the attic. Vanitas also stored things he didn’t take with him, like keepsakes and old posters, in the room. It didn’t seem to bother him that his father had rearranged it. It bothered Sora. 

Sora’s messy hair probably became visible first over the top of the couch as he quietly crept up on his sleeping brother. He peered, excitedly, over at his older sibling and grinned. He would get a wedgie or a head lock for what he was about to attempt, but in the long run, he figured, it’d be worth it. In fact, seeing Vanitas snoring and drooling was already worth it. Sora took a very big gulp of air and shouted.

“Help!! Vanitas!! Trolls have invaded the kitchen!! They’re going to eat everything!!” 

He leaped over the back of the couch and crashed directly on top of Vanitas who swore and then let out an ‘oof!’ from the amount of air suddenly crashed from his lungs. He then immediately growled like a demon and let instinct take over, throwing Sora haphazardly across the room. When a very shocked and disheveled Vanitas was able to allow his brain a pause to play catch up, his eyes narrowed.

“You little fuck!!” 

The scramble went on for a solid ten minutes until Sora surrendered and allowed Vanitas to give him an atomic wedgie. He didn’t want to end up with a black eye in Disney on his very first day.

The sun had just risen over the rooftops of Jersey. It sparkled off of the snow topped hills and glittered against the white washed lawns and silent streets. It was exceptionally cold due to the early morning hours and no manner of shouting and lectures from Vanitas, who was covered in six layers of clothing, could sway Sora from wearing cargo shorts to the airport. 

“It’s going to be, like, ninety degrees in Florida!! Okay, maybe not…ninety. But, like, at least, eighty!”

Vanitas gave up after twenty minutes of back and forth and told Sora he could freeze to death. Sora knew he would win. Vanitas would never risk Sora missing his flight. Their dad would be livid. Vanitas did, however, manage to get his younger brother to put his flip flops in one of his suitcases and switch to converse. Sora grumbled about this at first, but it did make sense when he thought about it. Vanitas just wanted to make sure that Sora could at least retain the use of his toes by the time they reached the airport. 

The thirty minute ride was spent quiet between the two boys for a good amount of time because Vanitas insisted on listening to his music at full volume to fully wake up. When he finally did, so, however, he turned the volume down to scrutinize Sora’s decisions for the ten minute remainder of the trip. After the two had parked and Vanitas had helped Sora at the check in counter get his bags loaded onto the plane and receive his boarding pass, they headed for security. Vanitas promised to walk him down but wouldn’t be able to pass the checkpoint without his own boarding pass.  
 Sora was bouncing with his excitement, his hands wrapped around his backpack straps as though he was a small child who had entirely too much candy for this early in the morning. He certainly looked like one with his messy brown hair that stuck out every which way and his Disney pillow pet shoved under his arm. The pins that clinked on his backpack and the excited glint in his blue eyes didn't help. If it wasn’t for his height, he’d certainly be mistaken for a thirteen year old, at best. 

Sora was shifting weight from foot to foot when Vanitas shoved him in the shoulder gently. “Will you sit still for a goddamned second?” 

Sora practically danced away from Vanitas. He was grinning from ear to ear and trying not to jump at the thought of where he was finally going. “How could I? I get to see Roxas in a few hours and I’m going to Disney World for a whole year!! This is going to be the best time of my life, Van!! How the heck am I supposed to sit still?”

Vanitas shook his head and gave a half smile as he ran a hand over his half shaved head. “You’re an idiot, you know that? This probably isn’t going to be the best fucking time in your life but you keep telling yourself that. In the meantime, I’m trying to talk to you.”

Sora did his best to sit still and be attentive to Vanitas. He figured that since he wasn’t going to see his older brother for a year, he might owe him at least that much. Truth be told, he was going to miss him. Sora would miss all of his family. Technically, this was the first time he’d be so far away from them for so long. The only other excursion that was slightly similar was when he attended summer camp at nine years old and tried to make himself throw up to get sent home. It turns out it’s really hard to activate your gag reflex in the back of your throat with a plastic spork.

“Okay, okay! But, keep it quick. I don’t wanna miss my flight and I gotta walk all the way to the gate!”

“You’ve got forty minutes, relax.”  
 “I know, I know!! But just in case. I don’t want to be late.”

Vanitas sighed again and Sora wondered if his older brother was going to end up having a heart attack at an early age. The young adult worried entirely too much about life. He missed when Vanitas was a little shit because he was a lot more carefree. Being an adult looked stressful on Vanitas. Perhaps it was the first time in a long time that Sora had really looked at him but the bags that were always present under his eyes, even at a young age, seemed really prominent. Sora knew he worked really hard in school and at his part time job at an auto place. He just had never noticed he was looking really run down. 

Great Sora, he thought, Way to realize your brother might need you right as you leave for a year! You dummy!

He took a deep breathe and gripped his backpack straps harder. “Okay, Vanitas. I’m listening.” He definitely had to give his older brother his full attention now. There was no doubt. 

The raven haired boy looked surprised for a second or so before he shook his head and shrugged. “Just…” He paused and looked Sora up and down. “Do your laundry and don’t wait until you have a mountain of it. Mom isn’t going to be there to pick your shit up off the floor. Also, make sure you eat something that isn’t shitty fast food every night because I know you have a kitchen in your dorm. Make a grocery store run at least once a week and don’t spend all your money on fries! Don’t spend all your money on shitty Disney souvenir’s you won’t need, either!!” 

Vanitas took a deep breath and continued.

“Make sure you tell your roommate where you’re going if you hang out with Roxas. There’s no guarantee that you two will room together. And don’t forget your keys! If you need anything from mom and dad, don’t hesitate to call them. I mean, anything. Money, food…money and food.” He paused for only a slight second to scratch the back of his neck, nervously. “Don’t go out after dark without someone with you! That’s really important. Don’t be riding public transportation at night unless its to go from the park to home! Disney transportation is different. Don’t be getting on city busses to go run around Orlando. It’s dangerous! You could get picked up or mugged or something…Just don’t go anywhere after dark if you can help it.”

Sora could have told his older brother to mind his own business or told him to shut up and tell him to stop treating him like such a kid. He could have told him he had it all under control and didn’t need Vanitas to keep breathing down his neck. He could have rolled his eyes and said his goodbyes and ignored Vanitas all the way through security. He didn’t. He smiled and let Vanitas continue because his brother definitely loved him, even if he wouldn’t let that thought fully form because brotherly affection was gross unless it was punches and boogers rubbed on each other.

“And…” Vanitas wouldn’t look at Sora as he wrapped up his lecture. “Sora listen, don’t forget to take the job seriously. I know you are super excited about working there but if you want to make something out of it you have to look for a real connection in the company and make sure you talk to someone who can really help you out with that. Express interest in anything and everything and get your name out there to the higher up’s, okay?” 

Sora was listening to Vanitas’ rambling with a smile and a nod mostly for his older brother’s benefit. But he balked as his brother finished and blinked, confused once his brain caught up with the equation. “Wait…” He paused and rose an eyebrow, genuinely confused. “You…Are you finally accepting the fact I want to work at Disney World? Like, forever?” 

Vanitas turned a deep shade of maroon and tugged at the collar of his black button up shirt. He become very interested in a group of foreigners who were trying to read the english signs by security to see if they were in the right section of the airport. “No. I’m not. Fuck off, Sora. Just…don’t screw this up, okay?” 

Sora grinned even bigger, if that was possible on this very important morning. After all of his lectures and shouting matches over the summer, Vanitas had finally accepted what Sora’s dream and was giving him advice on how to make it a reality. The younger brother jumped forward, let his Monster’s Inc. pillow pet hit the airport floor, and threw his arms around his older brother’s shoulders. He hadn’t truly hugged Vanitas in a very long time.

Vanitas shouted with surprise and a bit of disgust. He squirmed before awkwardly hugging Sora back for a mere moment. A quick motion of placing his hands on his brother’s back and then coughing awkwardly. “Okay, alright. That’s enough…” he muttered. When Sora didn’t move away, Vanitas pinched Sora’s arm enough to make it turn purple. “I said get the fuck off of me, Sora!” 

Sora laughed, despite the pain on his skin and grabbed his pillow pet off the floor again. “I guess, I’ll see ya soon, Van. Tell dad to lay off your haircut. I like it. Hopefully the funeral home’ll let you have it. It’s always been you. Besides, your clients are dead. Who cares? Love ya, you big jerk.”

“I hate you.” Vanitas responded, stone faced. He tried to hold it but he broke into a small, endearing smile with a shrug. “Mostly. Be careful, idiot.” 

Sora saluted his older brother, grinning. “You got it!” 

With that, Sora marched off into the line for security. He bounced his way through it, glancing back every few minutes to wave at Vanitas. His older brother wandered back, hoping Sora wouldn’t notice that he watched the brunette go through the entire line until he was nothing but a red, blue and brown spec in the crowd of the airport patrons on the opposite end of the checkpoint.

 

 

Roxas was a fucking mess. 

He was also a mess about being a mess. He had no idea why he was so nervous nor why he had changed his outfit four times. Hayner would have told him to stop being such a fucking girl and he would be absolutely right. Honestly, Sora would have probably said the same thing. 

Roxas had woken at the ungodly hour of 8 in the morning. This made zero sense as he had gone to bed well after 4. Why in the world would his body deem it necessary to get up with a mere four hours of sleep was completely beyond him. Besides, Sora’s flight wasn’t due to arrive until later in the evening.  
 Sure, Roxas had a hard time sleeping in general. He always had. Something about sleep eluded him entirely. Sometime’s he was exhausted but he’d lay awake, toss and turn, regardless. His brain couldn’t settle. He always said Sora probably had ADHD but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was him. He hated doctor’s though, so he wasn’t about to explore the possibility.

He had sleeping pills but they never seemed to keep him asleep. Probably due to the fact they’d been a prescription he was put on when he was very young and never had changed. He was used to lack of hours and he was usually accustomed to sleeping in. Most of his classes had been scheduled in the afternoon for this exact reason. 

However, this morning, it seemed his body was betraying him once again. Not that he actually minded. Because when he realized he couldn’t fall back asleep, despite being exhausted, he had remembered Sora’s arrival and had begun to fidget.

He spent an hour or more cleaning up his terribly messy room. Mostly. He didn’t want Sora to know he had spent any given amount of time picking up the collection of junk from his very meticulously dirty floor. So instead, he opted to just organize his mess.

Roxas would pick up the majority of clothes on his floor and throw them into his laundry basket, however, he would leave things, such as, what he considered really cool t-shirts and a flannel on the floor in a messy state. He’d pick them up and place them on the floor in a way that made them look as though he had haphazardly thrown them there. He did this to such detail he would actually open the door, stand in the doorframe and toss his flannel as though he had just gotten home. 

He threw out some of the soda cans and popsicle sticks he had littered over his side table and dresser. He left two popsicle sticks, meticulously crossed on his side table and one empty soda can on his dresser. Because he wanted his room to look clean, but lived in. He wanted his room to look as though it was messy enough that he probably hadn’t fretted over Sora’s arrival. 

He stood in his doorway and tossed his skateboard, letting it lay wherever it happened to land. That looked right at first but then he decided to pick it up and throw it from his bed instead. That position it landed in seemed to look better to him. Then he picked up most of this cd’s off of his floor. Most of them. He arranged a few of them in a messy, carefree fashion on his dressed and few on his night stand and some on the edge of his bookshelf.

He continued about this ridiculous backwards way of cleaning his room for two hours.

Then he tried to get dressed. 

Nothing he wore seemed appropriate for picking up your best friend of thirteen years at the airport. He tried everything. Flannels, sweaters, t-shirts, skinny jeans, chinos and even leather pants. He just couldn’t win. He was starting to get fed up with his entire wardrobe and wondered if he had time to run to the mall. Roxas didn’t understand how it had all looked good and well for him the day before and now was an absolute disgrace and obviously all needed burned.

His mother had said goodbye to him through the door on her way to work. (She was carpooling with a friend so that Roxas could pick up Sora at the airport with her car.) He hadn’t even bothered to wish her a good day face to face because he was in the process of his third shirt change. She seemed to understand, though. 

Roxas finally settled on wearing his FrontBottoms t-shirt because honestly how could one go wrong when wearing something of their favorite band? That and it was the only shirt Roxas had considered enough to try on twice. He wore his skinny black jeans and his torn up blue converse. He styled his hair as normal and made sure to wear the white and black checkered band that he was usually seen with. It was something that Ventus had given him when they were both very young. They had matching ones and Roxas never quite felt right without it, especially during important events.

He switched his necklace three times. From the silver X pendant to the antique key Sora had sent him in the mail once back to the silver X pendant. He couldn’t wear something Sora had gotten him in the brunette’s presence. That would be absolutely ridiculous. 

Before Roxas knew it, he was down to only ten minutes of free time to hastily shove some kind of food in his mouth, grab his keys and head for the airport; which was almost two hours away. He texted Sora as he headed out the door but he knew the boy would still be on his airplane and wouldn’t receive his text until he had exited the aircraft. 

Hey man. Just woke up. Leaving in a few. Pumped to see you!

Just woke up? Boy, he was such a fucking liar. 

He had plenty of time to think about his inability to function like a normal person on the way to the airport. Why was he so jumpy and why couldn’t he fall back asleep? Why had he changed his outfit around a million times and why was his stomach so uncomfortable? It didn’t hurt, exactly. It was just very annoyingly excited. Instead of dwelling on these uncomfortable and possibly emotional thoughts, he opted to shout songs from his carefully compiled Spotify playlists. 

Sure, Roxas was more than happy to accept his excitement of seeing Sora. After all, it had been months since he’d seen his best friend. They were going to spend a whole year together now. He had talked to Sora every single night on the phone and texted him constantly in that time span. Why should he be so uncomfortable feeling? Roxas also felt an intense desire to not appear as excited as he seemed. He knew Sora would never do that. The kid would explode on the spot at seeing him. Maybe all of the pushing your feelings down business was getting to Roxas.

He realized after twenty minutes of shouting along to his phone that he was going 95 in a 70 and managed to slow down to a respectable speed that the police wouldn’t take his license for. 

He had a hard time navigating the airport when he arrived. Roxas had discovered on his trip to visit Sora in his New Jersey hometown that he really hated airplanes and he really hated the airport. Navigating its parking lot and arrival pick up area was just as irritating as actually attempting to go through security and get to the right gate to get on the right plane. Roxas really fucking hated airports.

He made a wrong turn and ended up on the departing side of the terminal. He swore and swerved the car, narrowly missing crashing into a valet while he tried to make it to the other side of the airport. He could hear his phone going off with texts and knew it was Sora but couldn’t respond for lack of bearings. 

When Roxas finally did figure out where to go and had parked at the arriving gates, he checked his phone. The blonde found that Sora was collecting his bags from baggage claim. Which, was fine. That gave Roxas a moment to relax and take several deep breaths. Or…so he thought.

After four minutes of sitting in the pick up lane, car idling and trying desperately to fix his hair, an airport security guard made Roxas roll down his window. He told him that no one was allowed to wait for someone they were picking up. They had to get them and go or circle until they came out because it was too busy to take up space. Roxas growled and told the guard. “Fucking fine!” before he peeled out onto the road again and circled. Lucky for him, he was too quick for the cop to reprimand him on his rudeness.

The third time he went around, he saw a very exasperated Sora with a very large amount of luggage, standing in front of the airport doors. He was glancing left and right, taking in every car he possibly could at an attempt to find which one Roxas was in. 

Roxas slouched in his seat as he drove his way up to where Sora was. 

The boy was even more tan than Roxas remembered. How could that be? He knew it was snowing in New Jersey at this time of year. That seemed impossible. But his dark skin matched his sandy brown hair the way it always had and the blonde couldn’t help the smile that crossed his features. Roxas smiled fondly at the way Sora’s hair was unruly and unkempt and stuck out at all odd directions . He always envied the fact Sora’s hair met the punk aesthetic without trying to. The blonde spent a good time gelling his to the side in carefully constructed spikes to retain his reputation. Sora never bothered with his natural bed head.

Even from the distance of the car to the airport doors, the tan boy was glowing. It was an even brighter sight then the Florida sun. Roxas found himself squinting to even look at him. He was wearing red cargo shorts and a blue tank top. The blonde Floridian grinned. He could just see Sora making his way through the Jersey snow insisting that it would be warm where he was going and he didn’t want to roast when he got here. 

He was here now and Roxas felt like the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach might be in fact a demon trying to rip its way through his skin. How could he have not noticed a small demon had taken residence in his stomach until now? Great timing, honestly. 

When Sora’s blue eyes made contact with the Keating Family car, he shot an arm into the air and began waving, excitedly, while trying to drag his impossible collection of suitcases with him to the curb. Roxas felt like the demon in his stomach was being exceptionally unruly. 

He pulled in carefully up against the curb, which, to be fair, took him a few tries. He was new to having his license and although he had passed the parallel parking portion by the skin of his teeth he hardly knew what he was doing. It didn’t help that Sora was watching him the entire time and making the stomach demon agitated. Maybe he needed an exorcism. 

After the car was close enough to the curb it was considered acceptable and it had been safely put into park, Roxas exited the car. He was regretting not finding a second to run his fingers through his hair….or even look at his hair really.

It didn’t matter after he’d crossed from the drivers side to the airport curb though because he had his arms full of a Jersey kid who was shouting so loud that Roxas was pretty sure the cop who had yelled at him before was going to yell at him again.

Not that it mattered. When Roxas pressed himself against Sora he was pretty sure he was right about the kid being brighter than the Florida sun. He was way warmer, too. He smelled like cinnamon, which Roxas always thought smelled like Christmas. This, being fitting for Sora. Sora loved Christmas.

“Roxas! Roxas!! Man, it’s been forever!! I missed you like crazy! Phone calls are not enough, you hear?!”

“Please, enlighten me Sora, on how I can not hear you when you’re yelling in my fucking ear?!” 

Sora laughed, full and immediate, his breath right against the blonde’s ear and his chin resting, just so, on his shoulder. “I get to yell in your ear whenever I want for a whole year now!”

“You yell in my ear whether we’re in the same state or not, Sora!! Jeeze!!”

However, when Sora pulled back to fully grin in Roxas’ face and rub the back of his neck, embarrassed at his sudden rush at his best friend, Roxas blinked and glanced sideways. He couldn’t help but smile. Stupid Sora. Man, he really had missed him. Even if they had talked a lot on the phone and spent time over Skype…Nothing was really like seeing Sora in the flesh. The distance just wasn’t as kind to them as this.

In a very Roxas like fashion, the blonde reached out and took Sora’s left wrist and pulled him into a second hug. “I missed you too, you fucking idiot.” Roxas didn’t let Sora see his face when they hugged again and Sora couldn’t stop laughing.

“You missed me!! You missed me!!” Sora taunted, practically wiggling in Roxas’ grasp. “You really missed me! Ha!”

Roxas shoved Sora off of him and rolled his eyes, grinning. “Keep it up and I’ll get sick of you even faster. By the way, did you think you could have brought more junk?”

Roxas motioned to Sora’s towering amount of luggage and the brunette threw his hands behind his head, rocking back on his heels. Roxas couldn’t help but smile at his stupid gestures, which he knew so well. 

“I could have brought way more junk, yeah! I restrained myself, Roxas, jeeze! You should be thanking me. Now the real question is, can we fit all of this in your car?”

The blonde scratched his head and glanced back his mom’s SUV. “I think so. I don’t know we could always leave behind some dead weight. Like you.” 

Sora’s smile fell into a fake pout and he crossed his arms. “After all the years that I haven’t seen you, Roxas. You would speak to me like that?” He said, dramatically. Roxas could tell he’d been spending far too much time with his theatre department. Although, Sora was a natural drama queen. “All. These. Years.” Sora repeated, dragging out each word with careful precision and placing a delicate hand over his heart. 

“It’s been a few months, Sora. Not a few years. I don’t think you’d let your family get away with not coming down here for that long.” 

“You got that right. I would walk to Disney if I had to!! Speaking of which, it’s super weird not getting on the Disney bus. I’m not used to going upstairs in this airport at all.”

Roxas laughed. Every time Sora and his family came to visit they stayed at one of Disney World’s many resorts. Disney had it’s own charter bus system. Each resort had several buses that would travel to and from the airport, transporting vacationing families and their luggage. Sora and his family always took advantage of the bus system unless they decided to rent a car, which was rare.

“Well you’re welcome to jump on one of those with your fifty million bags and save me the gas money.” 

Sora grinned. “Too late. You’re already here!”

The two boys didn’t stop chatting animatedly as they loaded up the car with all of Sora’s things. Sora told Roxas about the snow that had happened overnight just before he left. He said that it was almost like New Jersey itself was telling Sora goodbye for a year. Roxas thought this was cheesy and told Sora that the state was probably glad to be rid of him. 

They left the airport, Roxas cursing several people he was sharing the road with as they went. His stomach demon was still bouncing around but less so than it had been when he’d first seen Sora on the curb. The brunette was telling Roxas about his entire day traveling when the blonde glanced sideways from the road to look his best friend up and down. 

It was surreal, almost. Seeing Sora in his mother’s car and driving down the interstate. Sora’s voice always sounded better when it wasn’t weighed down with the static of Skype or the hum of a phone’s connection. It was just as warm as he was. Warm and light but was communicated that way better when he was in person. It had been months since the two had seen each other, however, seeing Sora again after a long period of time, always felt as though it had been longer than it was. Roxas was pretty sure this was the opposite for Sora. Sora had once told him it felt like no time had passed at all.

The blonde tried to focus on the road, which was hard when Sora was sitting in his car. Right next to him. When Sora was sitting right next to him and would be, for all intents and purposes, for an entire year. Roxas was quiet while he coped with this but Sora either didn’t seem to notice or didn’t mind because he kept up with his story of the day’s events. 

Roxas didn’t stay quiet for long, though and Sora didn’t stay chatting about airplanes and the connection cities for long, either. 

Roxas was grinning brightly as he drove Sora past an exit sign that read ‘Downtown Disney’. He was afraid Sora hadn’t noticed it at first, but when Roxas took the actual exit, Sora ignited. 

“Wait, wait, Roxas! What are you doing?” Sora sat up so far in his seat he put his palms on the dashboard and the blonde laughed as he made a left turn. “We’re doing this today? We’re doing this now?” Sora sputtered, unable to process the turn of events.

“Calm it down, Sora!” Roxas said, eyes darting from the road to his best friend’s exasperated expression. He knew which one he’d rather be paying more attention to. “You’re liable to rocket right through the windshield and then who am I going to go to the Rainforest Cafe’ with, huh?”

“You’re taking me the Rainforest Cafe’?! Really?! Are we celebrating our friends-aversary tonight?”

“Well, I figured…” Roxas could feel the static in the car, which, was caused by a very excited Sora. Unfortunately, he could also feel his cheeks turn red at what he was about to say. Less so embarrassing than it would have been with anyone else though, he noted. The freckled blonde rubbed the back of his neck, keeping one had on the wheel as he passed through the familiar Walt Disney World arches and kept toward the Downtown Disney exit signs. “I figured since I haven’t seen you in awhile we can…sort of celebrate both, you know? You’re here and we’re actually going to be working at Disney next week and we’ve been friends for thirteen years. That’s pretty cool, I guess. I mean…Shit. It is. It’s really cool. So I figured tonight would be the best night to go. I mean, significance wise.”

Sora paused, settling back into his seat and licking his lips carefully as he processed those words. Roxas grew nervous as his best friend got quiet, worried he’d said something wrong or upset him somehow. Roxas was immediately ready to backtrack and say something to counter his previous statements with a well placed ‘Just kidding. Like I’d ever be that lame.’, when out of the corner of his eye he saw Sora trying to cover up the fact he had tears in his eyes. The big baby. Roxas was used to Sora crying over everything.

“Roxas?” Sora replied, a big grin forming across his tanned features as the static reemerged and he moved to sit at the edge of his seat once again. “That was really stupid and gay but you’re the best!” His blue eye’s were sparkling with tears and his smile was as big as the sun.

Roxas almost slammed into the car next to him when he swerved as he attempted to get into the other lane. He wasn’t sure why he’d lost his grip on the wheel so suddenly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to put a link to this up on my Tumblr (PunkRoxas) and you guys can go there for my very intense 3 part apology and update on where the fuck I've been. I'm really sorry. But I am nowhere near done with this!! I promise. I'm not dropping it or on hiatus. Promise!


	6. Good Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I have NOT attended the Disney College Program. Any and all information pertaining to the DCP is things that I have researched on the internet OR have bent and manipulated to match my story. If you or someone you know was a cast member through the DCP at any time and notice things that do NOT work or have not/do not occur: I understand that, however, I am working from what I do know and I need to do to write this story. Thank you!!

Downtown Disney was Orlando’s resident playground for adults mostly. It consisted of high end restaurants, bars, fashionable retail and whole lot of Disney merchandise. It wasn’t cheap, that was for sure. There were two movies theaters, one of which was dine in and a seafood restaurant on an actual boat that rested in the harbor. The Ghirardelli chocolate store posed the best hot chocolate money could buy while Goofy’s Candy Company was the place to go for the best slushy of your life in any flavor you could imagine. 

There was plethora of bars to choose from for the adults and at least three toy stores for the kids, including the famous Lego store. The World of Disney was the largest Disney store Sora had ever seen, boasting room after room of souvenirs and something for everyone. The area expanded regularly and didn’t require an entry ticket to explore unless you were interested in the five story massive arcade titled ‘Disney Quest’.

 Sora had never been to Downtown Disney during the day. It was a place to go usually on a day that you hadn’t attended the parks. It was reserved for the last day of vacation, a final family dinner and last minute souvenir shopping. This meant that they’d spend the day relaxing by the pool at the hotel and hop in the rental car to enjoy one last hurrah in the lovely Sunshine State. 

 Therefore, when attending Downtown Disney Sora would usually find it glowing, having been lit up, underneath the night sky. He remembered fondly the trees that sparkled, adorned as they were with fairy lights and the way the glow of the hundreds of buildings; shops and entertainment spots alike, reflected off the harbor water. 

 The sun was just starting to threaten to begin its descent when the two boys arrived, which was still earlier than Sora was used to. His heart skipped a beat in his chest as they headed through an intersection and the brunette spotted the shops. He had a lump in throat he was determined to not let Roxas find out about. It had been since the summer that Sora had seen any Disney landmark and it was already getting to him. However he could practically hear Vanitas calling him a crybaby again. His pulse sped up and he couldn’t stop the huge grin that his face melted into at the sight. 

 When he glanced over at Roxas, he caught the end of the blonde jumping and quickly darting his eyes back to the road. Sora was too encompassed by the sight before him to give that much thought as he silently took in every building and sign he could possibly digest while Roxas parked.

 It took them awhile to find a parking space which consisted mostly of Roxas proclaiming his distaste with the general populace being allowed licenses and wondering why people just ‘didn’t know how to fucking drive.’ However, once they finally navigated the parking garage accordingly, Sora shot out of the vehicle like a bullet. Roxas, although he chastised Sora for it, shot out almost faster than the brunette did.

 “Roxas!!” Sora shouted as they entered the crowds to begin their exploration on the AMC Theatre side of the town. He exuberantly punched his best friend in the shoulder to which Roxassputtered and laughed. Sora was so loud a small family turned to blink in surprise at him, however, he didn’t notice. 

 “I’m right here, Sora. Jeeze!!” Roxas was grinning ear to ear. No matter how much he tried to play off his excitement, Sora saw it plain as day. Roxas was really good at attempting to tone down the amount of adrenaline he could experience at one time but Sora usually saw right through that. He figured there weren’t many people who could and considered himself rather talented for being able to do so. A Roxas Keating expert, if you will. 

 Sora threw his arm around the blonde’s shoulder and dragged him off balance as they walked through the crowds of people and past a sunglasses store and expensive looking art showcase. Roxas laughed and shoved Sora off of him, shaking his head. 

 “Alright, idiot, where are we going first?” Roxas seemed more than willing to let Sora lead, however, Sora was a professional at this Disney business and almost looked affronted that Roxas dare question what their first destination could possibly be on the route through the paths of Downtown Disney. Especially when Roxas had promised Sora a dinner among trees and animatronic jungle animals.

 “Come on, Roxas! Who do you think I am? You said you wanted to go to the Rainforest Cafe’ for dinner! It’s almost six. If we don’t get a reservation now, we’ll be waiting all night!” How dare Roxas not realize this sooner? Sure, Rainforest was on the other side of the massive expanse of shops but Sora had priorities and he knew how to play this game. He was kind of disappointed his best friend wasn’t on the ball. 

 Although, Sora noted that Roxas looked equally and playfully offended. The blonde put his hands behind his head as they walked, a fake offense touching his features. The buildings were starting to light up and with the humid Florida air mixed with a distinct smell of chocolate circling Sora’s head, he almost felt euphoric. He was in no state for Roxas to be playing games. Luckily, he didn’t have to question his best friend’s look. 

 “Jesus, Sora. Who do you think _I_ am? I made the reservations for us a week ago. I know you’re probably hungry but we have an hour to kill, man, and need I remind you we just passed the Candy Cauldron which means we just passed candy apple central. I’m offended you would think so lowly of my planning abilities.” 

 Roxas was still grinning and walking when he finished and Sora was standing smack in the middle of the pathway while people (some irritated, some hardly noticing) fanned out around him. He was smiling, naturally and was rather impressed with the blonde. Roxas, despite being messy and generally a bit of a delinquent, he was rather good at planning things and thinking ahead. The brunette had always been jealous of Roxas’ ability to not procrastinate as much as Sora himself did. He seemed to analyze situations from different aspects like a super computer. Then again, Sora had a feeling that might have attributed to the fact that the skater was always worried about what everyone in the general vicinity thought about him. 

 Whatever the reason, it worked in Sora’s favor today that Roxas was, surprisingly, the more responsible of the two.

 “Roxas!! Why didn’t you say so?! I didn’t even think about that! We usually wait as a family because it gives us time to shop so we never call in advance.” Sora took this time to put his hand on his chin, deep in thought as though he had to reevaluate his entire plan, which, technically, he did.   
  
Roxas grinned through this display and fake scoffed at Sora. “What do you think I am, Sora? A filthy casual?”

 Sora cackled at Roxas’ internet joke. “I’m impressed, dummy. Now turn around!! We have serious candy apple-ing to attend to!!” 

 “Before dinner?”

 “Before and after. One for the road!”

 Sora steered Roxas back in the direction of the Candy Cauldron and because spending money gave the blonde a heart attack and he had to lecture Sora about spending all his money in one place on his first night, they split a Mickey Mouse apple pie caramel apple. Candy apple’s were Sora’s favorite while Roxas preferred the caramel, however they always agreed on the apple pie because they crust around the caramel was too good to pass up. Sora figured they’d be eating a lot of sweets that evening.

 Afterwards, they made their way graciously across the area’s expanse of shops. Roxas practically dragged Sora into the Mickey’s Groove shop which consisted of merchandise that showed off Mickey Mouse himself sporting a beanie, a scarf, signature thick framed glasses and a latte. One of Roxas’ favorite stores, naturally. Sora thought it was really something to see the blonde get so excited over a ‘hipster’ like interpretation of the King and only encouraged his best friend to buy three overpriced pins depicting said mouse in different poses. Because Roxas needed them. Obviously.

 They walked down a pier like path next to the harbor as the sun finally began its full journey to disappear and dyed the sky a gorgeous red and pink. Sora always though the sunset reminded him of Roxas. After all, Roxas was a creature of the night and not only was the sunset the path that led to night time but it was the way the sun blinded you just before it ran beneath the skyline. It just made the brunette think of his best friend. He was thinking that now, standing outside of the Lego Store. The red streaked sky shown on Roxas blonde hair and made his blue eyes stand out more than they already did. They were shining slightly though that could’ve been because he was laughing so hard at Sora’s impeccable Mike Wazowski impression. The brunette wondered if his blue eyes, being nearly the same as Roxas’, stood out like that with his chocolate hair. Maybe that was why Roxas kept glancing at him every so often.

 They passed a high end surf shop and then, further down, the irish pub, Raglan Road, where bagpipes and the smell of fish and chips sizzled onto the sidewalk. They walked passed street vendors and the large boat that accompanied Fulton’s Crab House all while catching up with each other and having Sora lean carefully over to take bites out of the caramel apple since Roxas had insisted he carry it (“You’ll drop it and probably try to eat it anyhow because you’re gross!”). 

 Sora wanted to stop in every shop they passed but Roxas didn’t want to miss their registration time at the Rainforest Cafe’. Sora’s favorite part about the restaurant, aside from the dozens of fish tanks that surrounded you while you ate, was the real and actual eruption the fake volcano that made up the roof did nearly ever fifteen minutes. It was the first thing he saw in the distance as they crossed the harbor via bridge to reach the restaurant. You could see the eruption from anywhere in downtown if you looked for it and it was a sight to behold. 

 The restaurant itself was built to look like a volcano and at the very top, every fifteen minutes the fake bubbling sounds would give way to an actual giant amount of flames bursting from the top. If you were standing next to it, the heat was so intense that you could feel it. The volcano sputtered and burst just as they neared the entrance and Roxas laughed when Sora jumped and grabbed his friend’s sleeve.

 “Shutup, you. I love the volcano. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen that! Ah!! Look! It’s doing it again!”

 Sora made Roxas stand outside with him for the duration of the show until the volcano quieted back down to rest it’s fire and brimstone for another fifteen minutes. Since Roxas had called ahead, it didn’t take long for them to be seated at a table. Sora ordered one of the specialty expensive drinks, mostly because it was bright blue and Roxas blew his own straw wrapper into the brunette’s face. 

 “So, hey.” Roxas offered, after they had ordered and were waiting for their food. Sora was trying to fit two straws together to make one giant straw when Roxas attempted to get his attention so formally.

 “Hi! I’m Sora, nice to meet you. Not to be rude but what are you doing sitting at my table? I don’t even know you and I’m not paying for your food if you’re a stranger.”

 Roxas’ eyes turned to slits but his playful smile was still dancing on his lips. 

 “I’m Roxas and I’m about to give you a swirly if you don’t listen up.” The blonde had his chin resting in both hands, leaning on the table. “So I kind of told…Hayner that you’d be coming up and well, you know Hayner. He got really pumped for fucking stupid reasons and wanted to meet you. I told him you’d probably want to chill tomorrow since I’m sure that flight wore you out but he’s, like, insisting. It’s up to you though.” 

 Sora didn’t take any time to contemplate this, really. He had heard a ton about Hayner, Pence and Olette but had never had the chance to meet them. He had suggested all of them tagging along with Roxas at one point or another for vacation purposes to Disney, however Roxas had seemed bothered by the idea so Sora had never brought it up again. Mostly, he heard about Hayner and his friends through a generally irritated and eye rolling Roxas. Sora knew never to take things at a Roxas face value though and figured that they were probably really a lot of fun and general good time to be around. Roxas was just being Roxas.

 “Of course I want to meet him! Pence and Olette, too!” Sora was still trying to form his monster straw as he proclaimed this and didn't look up as he informed Roxas of this. “You always talk about them but you never let me meet them. What’s up with that?” 

 Roxas prickled a bit but Sora didn’t notice. “Funny, They said the same thing. You guys are so weird. Don’t worry, you can meet Hayner in all his annoying gloriousness tomorrow if you want.” He shrugged and Sora did notice that. “They’re okay. Just…I don’t know, man. Never been convenient.” Roxas busied himself with his utensils. “For you to meet them, I mean.” 

 Convenient? Huh. Sora thought it had been plenty convenient lots of times but he let it slide as he finally managed to fit his first straw into his second. “Well, I definitely want to meet them and tomorrow is as good a day as any. The only thing I’m worried about is that I can’t skate and I know they all skate!” Sora was pretty sure they last time he’d had roller skates they had been four wheels with dinosaurs on the sides, while Roxas kept his skateboard with him at all times like some dirt covered, wooden attachment. This was ironic to Sora, who wasn’t sure what the skating population was like in Florida but new in Jersey it was a booming community. The boardwalks were usually packed with skaters, Sora just wasn’t one of them. 

 Before Roxas could answer, though, Sora had another thought. “Hey wait. Where do they wanna meet at because you talk about that skatepark that’s near your house all the time! Can we go there? I haven’t seen you skate anywhere but in the hotel parking lot and my driveway.” 

 Every time Sora had seen Roxas skate he had fallen a lot and managed nothing more than a lot of fancy ollies to get himself off the ground. He’d turn a stellar shade of red, get grumpy and claim it was the terrain. 

 Sora snorted a bit and smirked, looking up from his two part straw. “Unless you’ve been lying to me and you don’t skate at all.” He knew that would make Roxas defensive, which it did.

 “I told you, Sora! I do skate! I’m just bad at-“

 “Street skating.” Sora cut him off expertly. He was calm about it where Roxas was already flustered, which made Sora grin. “You’re just bad at street skating.” 

 Roxas tried hide his smile at Sora’s ability to finish his sentences but he failed miserably and Sora shrugged, blowing bubbles in his fancy blue drink.

 “So take me to the skatepark.” 

 “Okay okay, fine. We can go to the fucking skatepark, mister I-don’t skate.”

 “It’s for you, not me.” Sora said and he leaned up and across the table to snag Roxas’ straw from his drink so he could attempt to attach it to his two part straw and make a three part. He’d have to ask the waiter for more straws the next time he came around. 

 

 

 

 Roxas was about to chastise Sora right back for his insisting that the blonde didn't possess the skating skill he did. Instead, he inhaled sharply and something akin to fear gripped his insides as Sora leaned up and over the table. He was within reach for an instant, blue eyes closer than Roxas had seen them in awhile before he pulled away. It wasn’t fear, it just felt similar. It was closer to the feeling that you get when you plummet down the first hill of a coaster. It was more Expedition Everest than Space Mountain. The yeti felt like it had been on the back of Roxas’ neck, blowing puffs of air to make his hair stand on end. 

 To Sora, this was obviously nothing. He was now trying to fit Roxas’ straw to his other two to make some sort of giant straw that he would need to stand up to use. The blonde didn’t know what color his face was but he felt like it might have been hot.

 “You asshole! Give me my straw back!” 

 Roxas must have sounded more upset than he intended because Sora looked up, rather confused and blinked those blue eyes at him. 

 “Calm down, jeez, dude. I’m sorry. I’ll get you another one, you big baby. You don’t have to yell at me.” Sora shrugged, genuine confusion on his face. The fake thunderstorm that roared through the restaurant at random intervals started as though on cue. 

 Roxas fiddled with his fork. “Well…You should ask before you just take other people’s shit, Sora…” He paused before following it up with a well placed. “And I’m not a big baby! That was rude!”

 Sora couldn’t help but laugh and when he did, Roxas really tried to continue to sulk. He truly put forth his best effort, but Sora’s laugh was contagious and the blonde laughed as well. Just like that the tension faded from the table. Roxas couldn’t remember why he had gotten so bent out of shape over a straw in the first place. Just like that, it seemed trivial and stupid. 

 “Man,” Sora said through a snort and a giggle. “You really are a big baby.” 

 “Whatever. You’re the one whose attaching three straws together. You’re going to have to put it on the floor to drink it if you still want to be sitting.” Roxas grinned and ran a hand through his hair. He wouldn’t be surprised if Sora did take him up on that. “And anyway…What are we doing after this?” 

 Sora, once again, look affronted at the question but indulged Roxas with ease. “Slushies.” 

 “Nice.”

 

They both ate their fill of Rainforest Cafe’ food, which consisted of a barbecue bacon cheeseburger for Roxas and a plate of coconut shrimp for Sora. (Which he didn’t finish and had to take with him.) The two boys made their way to Goofy’s Candy Company for dessert. Sora’s eyes lit up like traffic lights when they entered the sweet smelling shop. The place was piled high with chocolates, giant cupcakes, marshmallow bars, cookies as big as your head, peanut butter cups, and caramel apples being dipped on site. It was a dream come true for someone with a sweet tooth. Roxas noted that Sora looked like he was floating, which was hilarious because he had just complained that he had eaten too much for dinner.

 Either way, the brunette found his appetite again and both boys left with slushy’s and a goodies for later. Roxas got his trademark Goofy Green Glacier which was Disney’s way of sporting a green apple. Sora had a harder time deciding and ended up with two flavors. He got the Gwarshly Berry Blue topped with Razzle Dazzle Pink. Later they’d compare tongues to find out who had gotten the most color. Sora would win, but only because he had two flavors instead of one and because blue always won. 

 The night consisted of traipsing through the Lego Store, World of Disney and Once Upon a Toy. Sora even managed to drag Roxas into the year round Christmas themed store, Day’s of Christmas. Christmas being Sora’s favorite holiday he just couldn’t pass it up.  
They finished the night off by getting two small truffles from the Ghirardelli store, which was about all they could handle after all the food they’d eaten that evening. 

 Downtown Disney was starting to close up by the time Sora and Roxas were done combing the shops. Families were collecting their kids and dragging them back to the car with tons of shopping bags. Most of them would drive back to a hotel or take the Disney bus. Some would even take the boat service back to the resort they were staying at. Sora and Roxas circled around some of the fountains and then lingered around the harbor near the Candy Cauldron and Starbucks, watching the water with full stomachs and high spirits. They stayed there until the doors to the shops were locked and the gates pulled down. The crowds had all but dispersed except for a few more stragglers, some families or lovers. The lights never faded though and they reflected off the water against Roxas. He couldn’t stop smiling and a glance at Sora told him his best friend was in a similar state. 

 Sure, Roxas didn’t live too far from Disney but he didn’t go as often. Of course it was more than Sora. After all, he had to the season pass and lived in the same state. However, school and life kept him plenty busy and the two hour drive was usually not something he looked forward to. Besides, Disney was never as good without Sora. In fact, if Roxas thought about it, he went to Disney a lot less after he’d met Sora because it just wasn’t the same without him. Being in Downtown Disney now with him and getting to spend the next year with him, still didn’t seem real. Roxas figured it would hit him at some point and he’d probably start yelling for no reason. Maybe.

 They had started out watching the harbor on one of the park benches but Sora had moved to stand on the bottom of the railing near the water. It was funny, Roxas thought. That was how they’d first met.

 Sora yawned and stretched, a sleepy grin on his face. “Thanks, Roxas.” He didn't look at his best friend when he said it and continued to face the harbor, but, Roxas was looking at him.

 The blonde shrugged. “Thanks for what? The truffle? I only paid for it because I didn’t want to do two separate transactions and that place was packed.” Roxas hated crowds for someone who loved Disney World so much.

 “No, you big dummy! Thanks for taking me to DTD.” 

 Roxas paused. “…DTD?” 

 “DownTown Disney!!” 

 Roxas snorted and laughed. “I’m pretty sure no one calls it that, Sora.”

 “Well…” The brunette huffed and hopped off the railing to make his way back over to Roxas. He crossed his arms, fake pouting at the skater. “I do!”

 “Then you’re the only one.” Roxas karate chopped Sora in the side, teasing. “You’re probably also the only one who calls Mickey the King, though, too.” Sora yelped when Roxas touched his side.

 Although, he found it really endearing that Sora should call Mickey Mouse the king. Over the years he’d also taken to Sora’s title for Disney’s most famous character. After all, he practically was the king of Disney if you didn’t count Walt himself. Sora was quick to point this out.

 “You call him The King too, Roxas!!” Sora grinned and pinched Roxas’ arm until he also yelled. “Come on, lets go. I’m beat!” Sora stretched and yawned. “We have a long drive don’t we?”

 Roxas shrugged. “Eh, two hours. Ain’t bad. Besides, I’m not a baby like you. Insomnia is a bitch, remember? I’ll drive home, don’t worry.” He didn’t tease Sora too much. He knew the kid had a long day. He’d been up at the crack of dawn, traversed two airports and rode two planes before running around Disney with Roxas all night. Then again, Sora seemed to have endless energy. 

 The car ride back started with Sora shouting about band and how he missed the trips that his high school would take to the football games. He tried to get Roxas to indulge him in singing some Disney songs but it didn’t take long for Sora’s head to rest against the window and a slight snore to emanate from his chest.

 Roxas just hoped he didn’t drool on his mom’s car door. 

 Now that Sora was asleep next to him though, Roxas was able to let his thoughts drift to things he hadn’t thought about during the day. Seeing Sora had kept him preoccupied, however, truth be told, he was really nervous about the brunette seeing his home for the first time. What if Sora was bored? Wouldn’t that be Roxas’ fault? After all they had an entire week to kill. Maybe he should have just taken Sora home right away and played video games with him and saved Disney for later in the week. Stupid. He should have thought of that before. Although, Roxas figured that this night, the first night, was the easiest way to catch Sora off guard. He had wanted it to be a surprise.

 Roxas could still picture the brunette when he’d seen the exit sign. Blue eye’s alight and smile rampant. It was contagious and Roxas found he was smiling again, despite his jittering insides. 

 After awhile of enduring the quiet hum of the car on the highway and Sora’s light snore next to him, Roxas dug around in his pockets to find his lighter before fishing his cigarettes out of the middle compartment in his mom’s car. He didn’t keep them there unless he was driving. He was really careful about that. Then again, Roxas was almost positive his mom knew he smoked. There was no way she couldn’t smell it on him and all of his clothes. She just didn’t want to bring it up. Bringing up it up made it real and Roxas figured if that was how she wanted to deal with it, it was fine with him. It was the weed he really tried to cover up. That would surprise him. She’d tolerate that cigarettes, not the weed. 

 He quietly cracked the window and lit up his first cigarette since picking up Sora. The smoke wafted out the window and onto the highway in ringlets making Roxas’ nerves dull. 

 When they two got home Roxas’ mom was fast asleep and Sora walked to his best friend’s bedroom in a daze. The blonde’s mom had already made him a makeshift blanket bed on the floor in Roxas’ room. Sora, who didn’t bother to change his clothes or brush his teeth, collapsed in a heap and fell asleep again almost instantly. Roxas would spend hours more watching the stars through his window, smoking another cigarette on the back porch and reading a book in the dark. He wondered if Sora would tell him that reading in the dark would damage his eyes the way everyone else told him. Roxas smiled.

 

 

 

His arm hurt. It was the first thing Sora noticed when he began to wake up. His arm hurt and it was fucking _cold._ Not just cold. No, no. This was _fucking_ cold. Somewhere above him he could hear the air conditioning humming lightly and he cursed it. What in the world was the AC doing on in winter? As Sora pulled himself from his sleep covered thoughts and shook them all awake, he found he was in a tangle of blankets on a floor he didn’t know. A hardwood floor. Most of said blankets had somehow ended up farther to his left. None of them were on him and only two of them were under him. The reason his arm hurt was because he, himself, had rolled over onto it in the middle of the night. Well…He always did toss and turn a lot. 

 The brunette rolled off of his own arm and made a noise through his teeth as it screamed in protest and then adjusted. He then grabbed the blankets and arranged them in a way that was actually pretty comfortable. Plenty underneath to knock out that nasty hardwood floor and plenty on top to, hopefully, keep out the ac. He snuggled further into his makeshift bed and blew a bit of air out of his mouth while he assessed his situation. 

 Florida. He was in Florida. That made the AC seem a lot more called for. He reminded himself he was probably just tired, which was why he was probably cold. That, and he was wearing his outfit from the night before. Oh…The night before. A rush of Downtown Disney came back to Sora in a blur. The smell of candy and chocolates mixed with the chatter of families and whimsical soundtrack that Sora loved so dearly. The lights bouncing off of each other and the harbor and the limitless array of Disney themed shops. He smiled in the morning light, snuggling against his pillow. Then he stopped abruptly because he was at Roxas’ house and Roxas might be watching him and he’d bet he looked like a total girl. Which he wasn’t at all.

 Roxas. That was right. He was at Roxas’ house. When this fully set in, Sora smiled even bigger. He glanced around the space he was accompanying on the hardwood floor and found that his phone had slid underneath the bed that was next to him. ‘ _Thanks, past me!’_ he thought with gratitude at the sleepy version of him that had enough sense to keep his phone nearby. Although, not enough sense to change into pajamas. Sora jammed the home button on his phone to find that he hadn’t charged it. Past him was losing points. 

 However, the phone did it’s job at 4%, telling Sora that it was roughly 8 in the morning. He yawned and stretched a bit, squirming around in his blankets before he sat up to pop his head over the side of Roxas’ bed. At first, he wasn’t sure anyone was in it, but Roxas was sleeping the way he usually slept…With this head entirely under the covers. How he was able to breathe like that was anyone’s guess, but it was just the position that he ended up in at some point in the middle of the night.

 So instead of really finding Roxas, Sora was more or less staring a very large blanket lump with a tuft of blonde hair sticking out the top. He poked the blanket lump carefully. Nothing. He tried again, a little less carefully. Still, nothing. He tried a third time accompanied with a light, whispered hiss of “Roxasss…”

 This time there came a growl like a small bear. Which, Sora figured, was a very good way to describe his best friend in the morning. Before Sora would dare continue he did the Roxas math in his head. Roxas’ normal sleeping hours would have him asleep by 4am with no distractions. Distractions were things like a brand new video game Roxas had purchased or maybe he’d found something really good to read or he was assembling a new skateboard. Which, as far as Sora could think of, didn’t apply. 

 Which meant that if it was eight in the morning and they’d gotten home around midnight…You’d have to subtract an hour at least for the energy it took to run around Disney. Sora would say that Roxas probably went to bed around three or three-thirty. Five hours ago. The brunette made a quiet disgruntled noise because he was awake and Roxas wasn’t and once Sora was awake that was pretty much it for him.

 Because he cared for the blonde’s general well being, he decided to let him sleep more. Also because he care for his own well being and didn’t want the grumpy asshole to wake up and kick him outside onto the Florida lawn. Instead, Sora quietly made his way around the room, rummaging in his suitcase. He noted that Roxas had a very messy room but you could tell a parental figure had tried desperately to make it seem like that wasn’t the case. Guests seem to terrify parents in a way that children and teenagers just didn’t understand.

 Sora knew the parent/teenage boy struggle, even if he was on the latter end.He could tell that the reason the hamper was full to bursting was because most of those clothes had been on the floor, however, if you put them in a hamper it looked less bad. ‘Contain the mess’ was something his mother would sometimes say. The same thing applied to the closet. There wasn’t a free hanger. Two hoodies had been thrown carefully over the bedpost on top of one another and there was a distinct lack of soda cans, and, for Roxas, popsicle sticks. All of these things yelled ‘mom’. 

 Sora changed into his pajamas quietly, mostly to be more comfortable and continued surveying Roxas’ room. He’d never seen it before in person. Only through blurry Skype calls and the occasional Roxas selfie. There were skateboarding posters and band posters on the walls. Sora easily picked his favorite out as the Big Hero Six poster. He nodded at the two Disney ones in the room with a smile as though to say ‘Yeah I picked the right best friend!’. The closet was left open and there were at least seven skateboard decks, broken and scuffed, piled on the floor in a mess of wood. A plastic set of drawers to the left of the closet were labeled with parts such as trucks, wheels, grip tape and screws. Sora was surprised but then again, he knew Roxas had a lot of free time at night with his struggle to sleep.

 As Sora crept quietly toward the door he noted the cork board just above Roxas’ dresser. It was decked out in photos that he knew well. Photos that the two of them had taken at Disney World.

 Some of them were of the castle or some of Roxas’ favorite places in the Magic Kingdom or Epcot, however, most of them were selfies or full photos of the two boys from over the years. Sora grinned and bit his lip, excitedly. He couldn't believe they’d come this far and in just a week, they’d be working at the place they met. It also meant something to the brunette to see that Roxas cared about their friendship as much as he did. He couldn’t put his finger on the feeling, though. Admiration? No, that wasn’t it at all…Gratitude? That was wrong, too. He shrugged and pulled himself away from the cork board and its memories because if he got too worked up he’d have to wake up Roxas to shout about it and the blonde would bite his head off. Guest etiquette didn’t apply to a sleeping skater.

 Sora, instead, tiptoed from the room, carefully closing the door behind him to explore the rest of the house. Besides, he was hungry and nobody could keep a Marino from breakfast. Or any other meal, for that matter. He knew if Roxas was at his house he’d help himself to rifling through the fridge. The least he could do was steal some cereal.

 The sun streaked through the windows with its morning exuberance and lit up the hallway that Sora padded quietly through. He did so slowly, trying to remember where everything was in relation to Roxas’ room. The house wasn’t very big though and he found the kitchen quicker than he’d expected. He also found a familiar face.

 Sora knew Lorelei Keating as well as you would know any distant relative you had basically grown up around. If you had asked Sora as a child he would have said she was like his second mom. However, now that Sora was older and had spent majority of family vacations in the Disney Parks without parent supervision from age thirteen on, he would now consider her to be more of a close aunt that he saw once a year. 

 However, that didn’t make her any less familiar. 

 She was sitting at the kitchen table, coffee in one hand and cheek resting on the other. She was surrounded by magazines and cut outs for half off pizza rolls and dishwasher pods. The morning light trickled through the window and bounced off of her red hair making it shine. Her red hair and freckles were Sora’s favorite part about her. The freckles, especially. Roxas had them too.

 It took her a minute to notice the brunette standing in her kitchen foyer, which Sora forgave. He hadn’t given any indication he was there, worried he might spook the woman who was deep into her coupons and might not be totally aware there was a strange Jersey boy in her home this early in the morning. When she did notice him, however, her eyes crinkled on the sides and a smile splashed across her features as though seeing her son himself come home after a long day at school.

 “Hello, Sora. I wondered when I’d be seeing you again.” 

 She said it calmly and it was familiar and warm and Sora couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear as many of their time spent together rang fresh in his mind. Mrs. Keating knew his parents more than he knew her as they spent most of the time lightly supervising their children in Disney Park restaurants or cruising around Epcot together. 

 “Hi, Mrs. Keating!” Sora announced, probably slightly too loud for eight in the morning. Maybe that was why she laughed softly. The brunette rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. He accompanied this with an apologetic shrug. 

 “Well.” She said with a sigh, sitting up and closing her coupon book as though she had much more important matters to attend to.Which, Sora figured, she did now that he was in her kitchen.“Since my son has a complete and total lack of gentlemanly bones in his body, would you like some coffee? Lord knows when the dead may rise. I caught him up at seven the other day, you know. Hadn’t slept a wink. Almost a record. Almost.”

 Sora laughed and took this as invitation to sit at the table. “Roxas always has me beat. I think my record is 4 am which, you know, can’t touch his!” He smiled, contentedly. He’d never been to Roxas’ home before but the two who inhabited made him feel like he already had. “I’d love some coffee! Thanks!” 

 Lorelei poured Sora his own mug of caffeine and then took her seat back at the table to watch Sora dump half the creamer carton and most of the sugar into his coffee. Sora knew Roxas drank coffee black which made Sora shudder. Secretly though, the brunette was pretty sure that his best friend only did it to keep up appearances. He might not have liked as much creamer and sugar as Sora did, however, he wasn’t as big of a fan of black coffee as he wanted everyone around him to believe. This made Sora snicker. 

 “Alright, Sora.” Mrs. Keating smiled and focused her attention on the boy in front of her with ease. Sora readied himself for the barrage of parental questions that came with any visit to a friends house when you found yourself alone in the kitchen with ones folks. Or folk, in this case. Sora had never truly had a one on one with Roxas’ mom. Normally they met in restaurants or at the park among his own family or at the beach for the day when they’d vacationed there with Roxas’ cousin, Ventus. One on one’s with Mrs. Keating were rare and it made Sora a little nervous when he came to this realization. There was no way the coffee had worked that fast. There was cricket in his stomach before the woman even truly began the conversation.

“How’s university treating you? Roxas is taking it all with a roll of his eyes.”

 Sora knew this question would come up, he just didn’t expect it so fast. He squirmed slightly, knowing that every parent would want to hear how well it was going. However, Sora hated lying, which was a good thing in retrospect because he was terrible at it anyhow.

 “It’s…Fine. I guess…Uh.” 

 Mrs. Keating raised an eyebrow behind her coffee mug as she lifted it to her lips. “You know you can tell me if you it’s _not_ fine, right?”

 The brunette deflated a bit and fiddled with the handle on his mug of coffee. True. However, for some reason he felt the need to impress Mrs. Keating today. Then again, it wasn’t as though Sora was getting bad grades. He just wasn’t liking college the way he had envisioned he would. His high school days seemed farther away than he wanted them to be. Friends and extra curricular activities all the same. 

 He shrugged, took a deep breath and tried again. “Well. My classes are okay! I mean, I don’t mind them and I get pretty good grades, I mean, my mom hasn’t taken away my video games or anything.” He paused in his run on sentence as something dawned on him. “Then again, maybe you aren’t supposed to take your son’s video games away when he’s in college. Of course…she’d probably do it anyhow if they were bad.”

 Mrs. Keating was smiling again, although, Sora wasn’t sure why. 

 “Have you made friends?”

 Mrs. Keating made a very big deal about Roxas making friends…or so the blonde would tell you. He complained a lot about his mom hounding him to go outside or to see Hayner or to be social. Roxas wasn’t an extremely social person. Sora knew this irritated him. Neither boy knew quite why she was so adamant about friendships and relationship made, however, she was. Perhaps it was because she couldn’t be there for Roxas as much as she wanted to. That was Sora’s guess, at least. But the woman worked hard and both boys did knew that much.

 “Not…really.” Sora was cautious with this information. He had friends, they just weren’t college friends. “I mean, sometimes people talk to me in class but most of my classes are really hands on stuff. So, most of the kids just put headphones in while they work. There…isn’t a lot of time for socializing and I haven’t had a chance to really join any clubs yet.” He shrugged and drank some more of his coffee.

 Sora wasn’t lying. Most of the kids did put headphones in when working on projects like painting sets or wood working in the shop. However, they still interacted quite a bit. Sora was just the weird Disney freshmen who had ruined an entire set on practically his first day. Who would want to interact with him? 

 As for club activities Sora was very disappointed to discover there wasn’t a Disney club. Vanitas had laughed at him and told him that no college or university ever had such a thing but Sora had been hopeful. Of course, there were a million others one that caught his interest. For one thing, he really missed playing in band and sports. However, those were things you had to audition for in college and Sora was worried he’d just mess things up again.

 Besides, college didn’t matter to him. He was one week away from his real goal, anyhow.

 They got off the subject of school, Sora had a feeling Mrs. Keating could tell he wasn’t into the topic. They discussed family and Sora asked about Ventus and Mrs. Keating inquired about Vanitas. Sora talked a lot about his older brother because he had a lot to say. He was proud of him, for sure. The whole family was. 

 During a conversation about Vanitas getting a house with his two friends, Vincent and Noctis, a very disgruntled and shirtless teenager dragged himself into the kitchen without so much as a glance at the two at the table. Roxas looked like he had literally dragged himself very unceremoniously out of his bedroom with a lot of effort, which, he had. His hair wasn’t swooped up to the side, but stuck out in several different directions. He grunted to Sora as he passed the kitchen table to grapple with the cereal on top of the fridge. 

 Roxas’ mother cleared her throat. “Unbelievable, Roxas. You can’t even muster up a good morning for Sora and I, can you?”

 “What’s good about mornings?” Roxas inquired with a grumble, continuing to give his undivided attention to his Cocoa Puffs. 

 “Honestly, though,” Mrs. Keating sighed and gave Sora a knowing look. “I’m impressed to see him up before noon. It’s hardly 9:30…I don’t think I’ve seen him up this early since he was five. He doesn’t become articulate until at least twenty minutes have gone by. That much is certain.”

 Roxas could be seen mimicking his mother silently as he poured himself coffee.

 “It must be because I’m charming and awesome and he couldn’t wait to hang out with me!” Sora announced this with a big grin that he hid behind his coffee cup. He knew it his sarcastic comment would grab Roxas’ attention, no matter how sleepy he was. 

 Bam. It worked. Roxas grinned as he fished a spoon out of a drawer and plopped down next to his friend at the table. “Modesty.” Roxas replied, a smile on his face as he dug into his cereal and sipped his coffee. It wasn't black. Sora had called it, which made the brunette smile even more.

 Lorelei watched the boys with interest for a moment. Sora noticed this after awhile of silence and blinked, confused. It was as if she waiting for one of them to say something or announce the long awaited answer to a question that was posed a long time ago. Roxas also took note of his mother’s awaiting glance and shrugged, spoonful of cereal paused halfway to his mouth. “What?”

 She smiled and shook her head before rolling her eyes at both boys and standing to attend to other things in the kitchen before announcing she was getting ready for work. This confused Sora and Roxas looked mildly irritated, although Sora wasn’t sure if that still due to the hour of the morning that the blonde had decided to wake to.

 “You snore.” He said, breaking the morning silence.

 “You knew that. Besides, so do you.” 

 “False.”

 “Bullshit.”

"Language." That was Roxas' Mom.

Sora would deny his snoring until the end of time. He didn’t. He never had or would. How dare Roxas say otherwise.

 Both boys finished their breakfast together and Roxas was given the opportunity to wake up. While both boys were attempting to put their dishes in the sink, Roxas’ phone exploded with a barrage of text messages. It vibrated like it was yelling on the kitchen table and Roxas looked at it like it was a bomb that might go off at any given moment. With the way it was going off, Sora wasn’t sure it wouldn’t. 

 “Fuck. Why does Hayner even think I would be up at this hour?”

 Sora brightened at the prospect. He had almost forgot about meeting Roxas’ friends, which he was marginally excited about. “Oh yeah!! I can get dressed super fast and we can go meet up with them!”

 “Jesus Christ.” Roxas smiled, despite his tone. “You morning people are a plague.” 

 Roxas did, however, follow Sora to get dressed and meet up with the friends the brunette had heard so much about. He was excited to find out what was actually true about them that Roxas hadn’t embellished with sighs and eye rolling. He knew he liked to exaggerate how annoying being social was, however, Sora had a feeling Roxas did really care about his friends. Maybe not the way he cared about Sora himself since they were in fact, best friends. But he knew the boy cared. 

 After deciding they would meet at the ice cream parlor near Pence’s house, (Roxas needed his fix) the two boys got dressed, Roxas rather begrudgingly, and headed out to start the day. Sora had to admit that the Florida weather was exactly what he needed. It was a warm 68 degrees and the sun was shining high in the sky. The palm trees were beautiful and he was allowed to be decked out in cabana shorts and a red tank top. There was no snow on the ground and you could smell the sea in the air, regardless of the beach being a bit of a drive away. To Sora, this was paradise. To Roxas, however, it was ‘winter’ weather. He laughed when Sora shouted about the fact they were walking to the ice cream parlor without a foot of snow on the ground but the brunette couldn’t help himself. He had just come from a very blustery Jersey shore.

 Roxas took his skateboard and cruised slowly along next to Sora so they could still carry a conversation. They were discussing their placement for Disney. Both wanted Magic Kingdom but were nervous about the prospects of getting it. You could transfer if spots opened up but both wanted the opportunity to work in their favorite part of the park right away. 

 “They’re supposed to email us this week right?” Roxas did a small ollie off of the sidewalk and onto the road next to Sora. 

 “Uhuh. We get our placement parks and our apartments. I’m still hoping by some amazing fluke we get to be roommates." Sora and Roxas both knew that the chances of them getting to room together were slim to none, however, they would at least still be in the same vicinity, which was most important to Sora. He was kind of excited to meet his new roommate, even if it wouldn’t be his favorite blonde.

 “If you didn’t get MK, where else would you want?” Roxas inquired. He was posing a very good question. Sora considered this carefully as they walked down the Florida street. It was a delicate matter. Magic Kingdom was the favorite, hands down. Epcot was a lot of fun but Sora didn’t think he’d want to be stationed in one of the many countries that made up the park. 

 “Animal Kingdom!” He decided with a nod. “That way I can touch all the animals and take care of them.”Roxas made a face at the answer. Sora squinted at him. “What?”  
  
“DAK is a glorified, expensive zoo.”

 “What! It is not! They have the tree of life and the petting zoo section!”

 “The only good thing at DAK is Expedition Everest, Sora! Everyone knows that. Besides…” Roxas grinned and did a curb track back onto the sidewalk. “If you worked there you’d just end up scraping poop.”

 Sora rolled his eyes, not believing that for a second. He put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the clear blue sky, smiling. “Okay, wise guy. Where would you wanna be?” 

 “Easy. Anywhere but DAK.” 

 “You asshole.”

 The two rounded a corner on the main street and the ice cream parlor stood out. It was small and cute but bright enough that it was easily noticeable. Roxas flipped up his board and tucked it under his arm before they entered the shop. A quick glance around the store and even Sora knew that Roxas’ friends hadn’t arrived yet. 

 Sora got himself a strawberry waffle cone and Roxas weighed in for the cotton candy; opting to get two scoops instead of one. Sora would never understand Roxas’ obsession with ice cream. He used to blame it on the blonde living in the warm state, however, he soon discovered that not all the residents were as obsessed with ice cream as Roxas was. He practically bought a Dilly bar every hour at the parks and had even been known to have it as a substitute for breakfast. Sora, who had an insatiable sweet tooth where Roxas did not, figured that Roxas’ teeth would rot out of his head before he was thirty-five. 

 They found seats side by side, facing away from the front of the shop. During their conversation about whether they would like rooming with someone in such tight spaces at the internship, Sora received a very hard tap on his left shoulder. 

 

 

 

 

 Roxas could sense Hayner’s presence like a powerful annoying tug on the back of his neck, even before Olette leaned over his shoulder to say hi. He twitched and sighed as he watched Sora jump at Hayner’s touch and whirl around. The dirty blonde was grinning from ear to ear, as though he had just gotten everything he had ever wanted for Christmas. Honestly, Roxas couldn’t remember the last time he'd seen Hayner so excited about something but he knew that whatever it had been it probably had not been good for Roxas. 

 “You fuckin’ gotta be Sora, right?!” Hayner proclaimed to practically half the shop, hands on his hips as he surveyed the boy in front of him. Roxas went to run his hand through his hair before remembering that would agitate all the hard work he'd done to gel the side of it up the way he liked. 

 Sora, in question, seemed a bit stunned by the fast approach. “Y-yeah? Yes! Yeah! Thats me! I’m Sora!” 

 Hayner shoved his ice-cream cone into Olette’s free hand (She seemed used to his nonsense and caught it with expertise) and in all his glorious dramatics, then proceeded to sink down to one knee in front of Sora. This was much to Roxas' complete and utter embarrassment. He had no idea why he was friends with this idiot in the first place.

 “Sora!! I have a question…” Hayner wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and winked at Roxas who looked as though every freckle on his face was on fire. Hayner, having been friends with Roxas long enough, had to know he was dead. Before Sora could react, Hayner asked his question. “…Will you accept Roxas’ hand in boyfriend-age?”

 If they had not currently been inside an ice cream establishment, Roxas would have lunged at Hayner and given him the head lock to rival all head locks and possibly a thorough beat down. Instead, Roxas could only look on in sheer horror. 

 Olette, now holding two ice cream cones, looked apologetic and Pence, who was hanging back a bit, surveying the scene, tugging at the color of his shirt, with a nervous smile. At least someone knew Roxas was going to kill Hayner later. 

 Sora, on the other hand, actually looked genuinely confused at the question. “…Boyfriend-age?” He tilted his head to the side and blinked at Hayner, who was still down on one knee. However, Hayner didn’t have to say anything. The reality of the joke dawned on Sora before he could. 

 “Wha-No!! Roxas? Me? I’m…That’s hilarious but no! We’re not …We’re best friend’s not…” He sputtered and the pink stood out on his tan cheeks. He was emanating a laugh, however, there was an edge of nervousness to accompany it. Roxas, for some reason or another, found himself even more upset toward Hayner due to Sora’s embarrassment. However, the lady behind the counter was eyeing the group with a distinctly low tolerance to shenanigans as Hayner wasn’t being quiet. 

 Lucky for the dishwater blonde, Olette opted to diffuse the situation lightly kicking Hayner in the shin, causing his balance to drop and him to fall to the floor with a light ‘oof!’.

 “Sorry, Sora. He never learned any manners. He’s not really supposed to be allowed in public but we let him outside sometimes to reward good behavior. I’m Olette. It’s really nice to finally meet you. Roxas talks about you constantly.”

 This seemed to calm Sora down and it dawned on him that these were Roxas’ friends. Roxas, who was still boiling mad at Hayner and beat red in the face, did his best to pull it together for Sora’s sake. After all, he really wasn’t sure why he was so upset. Something about the entire thing had ticked him off, which Hayner was good at ticking him off. However, Hayner’s stunts usually only left Roxas mildly irritated. This, however, seemed to have pressed a button that clearly should not have been touched. That almost annoyed Roxas more. What was he, himself, getting so upset about? It was only Hayner being Hayner. It wasn’t as though he didn’t expect these types of stunts and Hayner made couple jokes about Sora and him all the time. So, what was it?

 Sora, on the other hand, seemed to have recovered and was beaming at the chance to meet Roxas’ friends as he shook hands with Pence. “I’m Sora!! It’s really nice to meet you guys, too. Roxas talks about you just as much, then.”

 “Not…that much.” Roxas said with a shrug. “Watch it, Sora. They’ll all think I actually fucking like them or something.” He scowled at Hayner and did his best to try and let it go.

 “Wouldn’t want us to think that, eh, Roxas?” Pence sat down next to Olette, grinning his sunshine smile and propping his long board up on the wall behind him. “Honestly, super awesome to finally meet the famous Sora, though! Do you skate?” 

 While Sora was answering with a long winded answer about how his balance was a mess and that was an absolute no go, Hayner dragged himself off the floor to sit on Roxas’ other side. He was nursing his ankle with an extreme amount of exaggeration. Olette stayed focused on Sora as she passed Hayner his ice-cream back and Roxas scowled at the blonde next to him.

 “So, yeah. I’m not much for skating, which is ironic because Jersey is full of skaters. But I’d love to see you guys skate! I never get to see Roxas skate because we’re always on vacation and I guess there just isn’t time for that, you know?” 

 Sora was already comfortable with them. Roxas could tell. It never took long for Sora to be comfortable in any kind of social situation. Roxas wasn’t sure if he envied that or was just jealous that newcomers didn’t have to win Sora over with much at all. He liked to think that, as Sora’s best friend, it took more than a smile and a friendly greeting to crack the kid open. Maybe that was true, though. Roxas was worried that sometimes even he was still trying to work out everything that made up his best friend. Sora was very good at hiding everything behind a smile.

 “We can go skate!” Hayner said, joining the conversation at a part that peaked his interest. “I’m Hayner, by the way. I didn’t get there before I was so rudely violated.” He stuck his tongue out, childishly at Olette who rolled her eyes. “However, Sora, may I probably be the first to say: Welcome to Lyrik, Florida. I say, ‘probably the first’, because Roxas is a fucking bonehead and probably didn’t.”

 The bonehead in question had reached the final straw and shoved Hayner’s face into his chocolate ice-cream cone. 

 The group congregated outside the shop afterwards so that Hayner could lead the group toward the skate park. Roxas made sure to that Hayner knew he was pissed by giving him a wide berth and not speaking at first. Unfortunately, Roxas knew this was a bad trait. When he was angry he wanted the person his anger was directed at to absolutely know. Hayner, however, was exceedingly oblivious to most of Roxas’ bad moods.

 The walk to the skate park wasn’t far but Hayner had a story for every place they passed. This, surprising to Roxas, seemed to genuinely interest Sora, who was listening with rapt attention as though he’d be offered a quiz on the town of Lyrik prior to visiting. This made Roxas realized he’d said nothing about his town on the way to the ice cream shop. However, he didn’t think it was relevant. He should have known that Sora would. Pence and Olette spent most of the time correcting Hayner on his embellishments until Roxas finally relaxed enough to add to the commentary. Couldn’t count on them to tell the stories correctly, could he? 

 When they finally reached the skate park Roxas was stoked to know that it was mostly unoccupied except for a few high schoolers scattered about. Hayner immediately dragged them to the halfpipe, his favorite spot. There was picnic bench next to the halfpipe for kids who wanted to watch or girlfriends who were dragged there to watch their boyfriends spend an hour or so skating. Hayner paused at the bench to lean his skateboard against it and dig around in his pockets.

 “Hang on. I’m gonna light up first.” 

 Roxas had to agree. He hadn’t had a cigarette in almost two days. He wouldn’t say that he needed to smoke, just that sometimes it relaxed him and he enjoyed it. Especially with friends. If asked, he’d say he was a social smoker, however, he was known to light one up now and again alone if he felt like it. 

 “Can I use your lighter?” Roxas asked, pulling his own pack of cigarettes out of his pocket while Pence and Olette announced they’d be starting and climbed up the ladder that led to the top of the halfpipe. Pence didn’t smoke cigarettes and Olette only smoked when she was drinking. 

 Hayner nodded and tossed Roxas his lighter in question. “You don’t wanna smoke one of mine?” he asked, teasing with a grin.

 Roxas made a disgusted face. “Fuck off.” He mumbled around his own cigarette in his mouth. “I wouldn’t smoke your shit ass menthols if you paid me.” He paused and shrugged, taking the first puff of his newly lit cigarette. “I take that back. Maybe if you paid me.” 

 Hayner cackled and made a joke about how Roxas was always shit broke.

 Sora, on the other hand, was standing nearby and Roxas realized two things:

 1\. Sora was extremely quiet. Which wasn’t normal.

 and

 2\. Sora was staring right at Roxas with a look of complete disbelief.

 Roxas, had no idea how to handle such a turn of events. So, naturally, in a perfectly idiotic and otherwise backhanded way he simply shrugged. This shrug was accompanied with a terribly placed and otherwise accusatory. “What?” 

 Sora broke from his trance and blinked. At first, he didn’t say anything, which almost made Roxas panic. He just sort of looked dumbfounded? Perhaps that was the emotion? Roxas couldn’t place it. Finally, Sora did speak and then, just a bit, Roxas did panic.

 “You smoke.” he stated, almost a question but not quite.

 It was Roxas’ turn to stare. The blonde had never mentioned this to Sora. Not that he was hiding it, no, that wasn’t the case. Smoking wasn’t permitted anywhere on Disney property and there was no way that Roxas would ever smoke in front of Sora’s family, regardless. Just the same, he’d never smoke in front of his own family. Sora and Roxas had known each other for thirteen years and although long distance, Roxas realized he’d never mentioned to Sora once that he smoked. It had never came up in casual conversation and never been referenced in a story. Hadn’t he told him about the first time he saw Seifer and his gang smoking before Hayner and him had tried it? Apparently not.

 The more Roxas stood there, thinking about it and panicking, he realized that possibly, subconsciously, he _had_ been avoiding telling Sora that he smoked cigarettes.

 The thing that was making him panic wasn’t this realization or the fact that he did or did not smoke. It was Sora’s entire demeanor towards the situation. He had stiffened considerably and there was a good amount of space between him and Roxas. His hands were curled and his shoulders had snuck up slightly. Judging by his shoes, his toes were curling as well. His blue eyes were resonating surprise, sure, but there was also a touch of hurt and quite possibly, betrayal. This was the source of Roxas’ immediate panic.

 He hadn’t thought about Sora’s views on smoking nor why it would be such a big deal that Roxas, himself, did it. But here was in, faced with a rather tense and honestly upset Sora. He shifted, cigarette between two fingers, however he didn’t dare take a drag. Which was unfortunate, because he could really use one.

 “Yeah.” was all he could manage. How lame.

 “Oh.” Sora replied, however, he didn’t relax. “How come…you never told me that?”

 Roxas shrugged again, tapping his converse lightly on the concrete and nervously shoving his free hand into his pocket. He was avoiding eye contact, although he didn’t mean to be. 

 “You never asked.” He replied. Although, he knew that wasn’t good enough. Could see that it wasn’t good enough in Sora’s eyes when he did glance at the boy. “I mean…Damn it, Sora…” He backpedaled rather ungracefully. “Its just that you can’t smoke on Disney property so…Plus, I’m quitting anyway. We’ll be at the internship for a year so…I have to quit. I guess it wasn’t worth mentioning now.”

 Sora nodded and relaxed his tense posture a bit, however, he still looked a bit shocked and didn’t reply. At least his shoulders had gone back down to their normal height. Roxas, suddenly, could feel the cigarette in his hand prominently; smoldering at the tip as it was.

 During all this, Hayner had climbed to the top of the halfpipe and was preparing to drop in. He hardly noticed the tense situation occurring below him. He waved, exuberantly at the two boys, grinning. “Hey, Sora!! Check this out!” before he dropped into the halfpipe, sliding down before swinging back up onto the opposite side. It was the simplest trick, but you’d think Hayner had just won the X games.

 “Okay.” Sora said after another moment of silence and watching Hayner. He had relaxed completely, which relaxed Roxas. 

 The day continued without much incident. Hayner, Olette and Roxas both took turns on the halfpipe. Pence, who rode a longboard, took to the concrete dunes. When Roxas dove into the halfpipe for the first time Sora shouted and yelled, impressed. This seemed to erase any tension left between the two boys from earlier. Sora evened attempted to scoot around slowly on Roxas’ skateboard. Olette tried to help him ride up a hill but he panicked.

 Roxas just didn’t understand why him smoking would bother Sora so much in the first place. Then again, he didn’t take another drag off of said cigarette in front of Sora. He wasted the entire thing, throwing it on the ground and stamping it out with the end of his foot like he’d done a thousand times. Roxas did not regret it, either.

 

 

 

 The week flew by, which was surprising since Disney was waiting at the end of it. The two boys spent time with Roxas’ friends, going to the local arcade, eating ice cream and trying to teach Sora how to skate. (With little to no results.) They would go home and Mrs. Keating would either make them dinner or bring them fast food and they would play Smash Brothers until the sun came up, or, until Sora fell asleep. Usually it was the latter. Ventus stopped in for dinner one night and to beat Sora in a Pokemon battle. He asked about Vanitas a lot, which Roxas found surprising and Sora didn’t notice. Both Sora and Ventus yelled excessively about a tv show that Roxas didn’t watch. This made Roxas mad, which gave Sora the perfect bait to make him watch the first episode that very night. After that he was hooked.

 Sora really enjoyed hanging out with Roxas’ friends. Hayner was loud, excitable, and very social. Sora understood why the antisocial Roxas would be irritated with someone like Hayner living so close by. He was funny though and a party on wheels. He skated everywhere (especially where there were signs that said ‘No Skateboarding’.) and there were never any awkward silences with him around. 

 Pence was also a lot of fun. He new urban legends from the town and even from the Disney Parks that got Sora extremely excited. He said his favorite part about the parks were the abandoned sections that guests were prohibited to enter, such as, Discovery Island and River Country water park. So, of course, Sora loved him. He always liked that Pence used a long board instead of a skateboard. Before meeting Pence he would never have been able to tell you the difference between the two, but Pence showed him how to cruise on it and it was a lot easier than riding a skateboard.

 Olette was Sora’s favorite. She wasn’t as loud as Pence or Hayner but always managed to diffuse the situation if the three boys got out of control. She was a really nice addition to the group. She evened them out. Sometimes she reminded him of Garnet. Sora talked to her when the three boys were playing a game similar to the basketball game of HORSE, just called, SKATE. She said that her favorite people in the world were those three boys. They were like her family. Then she punched him in the arm and made him swear not to ever repeat what she’d said. As Sora nursed his now punched arm, he watched Roxas race down the halfpipe and double back, up and down and he smiled. He knew how she felt. 

 Sora became friends with the group rather fast. They no longer were ‘Roxas’ friends’, now they were Sora’s friends, as well. Hayner even gave Sora his phone number and demanded that it be official. Roxas told Sora not to text him because if he had Sora's number he'd never leave him alone. This, to Roxas’ utter disgust, just made Sora and Hayner both laugh. 

 During the week, both Sora and Roxas received their placement emails for the parks. Neither of the boys would be working in Magic Kingdom, however, the email stated that they could request transfers if spots were to open up. Not working Magic Kingdom was a tad disappointing, at first. However, both boys were still completely ecstatic and made a vow to transfer as soon as they were able. Complete with fist bumps.

 Roxas was placed in Hollywood Studios in the Tower of Terror. He would be in the position of leading the guests up through the hotel and onto the elevator. This had Sora jealous at first because that meant that Roxas got to wear the Bell Hop uniform. That is, until he saw his own position.

 Sora, was placed at Blizzard Beach, he’d be doing various jobs like helping the younger kids with their life vests and making sure it was safe for them to go next on the slides so they didn’t ram into each other at the bottom. This elated him, however, most anything would have. Sora hadn’t realized that the water parks were on the table because they weren’t something that his family visited very often, which, just meant that he got to learn more about them. Plus, he’d be outside, like he wanted and he’d get to wear swim trunks and a t shirt. 

 Before both boys knew it, they were packed and ready to become employees for Walt Disney World. Sora stayed up most of the night before with Roxas, which they both figured was a bit of a record since usually Sora couldn’t keep up with the blondes sleeping schedule. How could anyone blame him, though? Sora was just too excited to sleep.

 D Day, or, Disney Day, as they had labeled it, finally arrived. 

 Sora, for the first time in his life, was not awake before Roxas. Roxas was obviously used to not sleeping and was so excited he managed to pull himself from bed. Sora woke up to a very insistent Roxas, who had rolled from his bed literally on top of Sora. 

 “Get up.” 

 He said it with finality but Sora was exhausted and moaned, disgustedly. It was way too early. There was no way Roxas had gone to bed early. Why was he awake and why was he laying on top of Sora with his full weight? Why? 

 “Sora. Get. Up. Its D Day.” 

 Sora was very tired and it took his brain a bit of catching up to do. Plus, Roxas’ cheek was practically pressed against his own and that boy’s morning breath was awful. Otherwise, he smelled like …Well, Roxas. Which was a pleasant thing, honestly, and mostly consisted of vanilla, sea salt and hair product. Although he was laying flat on his stomach on Sora’s back, Sora didn’t mind. Roxas was small and warm in the air conditioned house. Sora was a few inches taller than the blonde skater and he was reminded.

 That was really all his mind had the capacity for at first. Although, as he began to wake up and fully comprehend the situation, he snapped his tiredness away in the blink of an eye. Before he could completely scream about it being said D Day, though, he was also aware that Roxas was still on top of him.

 For some reason that Sora definitely couldn’t comprehend on the morning of Disney Day with a severe lack of his usual sleep schedule, the brunette turned bright red. Then he flailed, rolling over and kneeing Roxas in the stomach. 

 “What the fuck, dude!! Why’re you like this?!” He shouted, sitting straight up, his hair a bedraggled mess and his tan cheeks bright red. 

 Roxas, despite being kneed in the stomach and tossed halfway across the room, was cackling in a way that reminded Sora of Hayner. Although, if he told Roxas that that blonde would probably punch him. Roxas was just as excited as Sora was.

 “I got lucky!! Now get the fuck up. We have ‘Traditions’ in a few hours and we both have to shower.” 

 Traditions. Traditions was the college program’s orientation ceremony. Sora had been waiting to go to this ceremony for most of his life. Now it was _real_ and staring him right in the face. He was going to Disney World. To work and to live. He’d be there for an entire _year_. He glanced over at Roxas, who was still sitting on the floor, but, already pulling off his shirt to get ready. Sora was going to be at Walt Disney World, his absolute favorite place on the planet, for a year with his best friend.

 As all of this sunk in, past the fact that his brain was in morning mode, and he licked his lips carefully. “Roxas?”

 “Yeah?” Roxas looked up, raising an eyebrow and awaiting Sora to speak.

 “…Race you to the bathroom!” 

 With that, Sora leapt out of his makeshift floor bed and darted like lightning toward the bathroom to take a shower first. Roxas cursed loudly but was nowhere near the bathroom when Sora shut and locked the door. He could hear his best friend pounding on the wood.

 “You fucker! I was gonna shower first!”

 “Snooze you lose, butt turd!”

 “I wasn’t snoozing! You were! Besides, nobody says butt turd, anymore. What are you, six?!”

 “Shut up, buttmunch. It’s today, Roxas!! It’s today!!”

 “That insult isn’t any better! I know it’s today, Sora! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, now, lemme shower!”

 “No way!”

 The morning was a blur. They ate a hurried breakfast of bagels because Roxas’ mother would not let them go without something in their stomachs. This was difficult because Sora already had an entire army of crickets jumping around in his stomach, he was just too excited. He practically bounced when he walked and they jam packed the car with all of what the two boys considered essentials. Which, may or may not have been actually essential.

 Sora noted that Roxas had scooped his pack of cigarettes and lighter into his pocket. He swallowed hard while he watched the action, but didn’t comment on it. Sora wasn’t sure why Roxas smoking bothered him so much. Vanitas had smoked for years, which Sora had been aware of. Sora was also aware that once every few months Roxas would smoke weed. This, for some reason, didn’t bother him the way the cigarettes did. 

 What bothered him most of all was that Roxas had never, once, in their thirteen years of knowing each other, told Sora. It had never come up in conversation and never been added to a story. In fact, Sora was partially sure that Roxas had hid it from him on purpose. Maybe…for good reason. Since, Sora himself, was getting so uptight about it in the first place. However, they were best friends. It just didn’t make any sense. 

 Sora knew it wasn’t his place to say anything…but he wanted Roxas to quit. He had a feeling that a conversation like that wouldn’t go over so easy. For now, he decided to let the situation drop. He’d examine it later when he didn’t have so much Disney on his mind. 

 Roxas mother drove them to the casting center all while playing Disney music at the insistence of her son and his best friend. Sora felt like he had won the lottery and somewhere between _Immortals_ and _Two Worlds, One Family_ , it really started to hit him.

 Sora was going to be at _Disney World._ Working at _Disney World._ Roxas, smiling from ear to ear, would glance at him, an eyebrow raised when he sang louder during the chorus. This caused Roxas to also sing louder until a battle occurred over _Out There_ which was already a loud song. Mrs. Keating couldn’t bring herself to break it up, especially when it ended in laughter. 

 They passed by the famous Welcome to Walt Disney World sign and Sora got teary eyed, however, before he could cry, Roxas freaked out and punched him hard in the arm, which stopped the tears, ironically. 

 They didn’t go toward the direction of the parks, however, but further away from Disney itself. Roxas had to lean over the middle of the front of the car to turn down the music at one point so they could figure out where the apartment dorms were located without getting lost. 

 Unfortunately, Sora and Roxas were not in the same dorm, or even, the same complex. This was something they expected. They had the option to request each other as roommates but both had agreed that this was a good opportunity to meet other people from the Disney Cast Member’s community and agreed they’d be seeing a ton of each other regardless. The two that they had gotten into were, however, very close. In fact, Sora was in the newest building which did not have a bus stop. He’d have to cross over to Roxas’ apartment to use his bus stop. Which worked out perfectly. 

 Roxas was to be rooming into Chatham Square, which from the rumors on the internet, was hard to get into and consisted of a lot of partiers. Sora, on the other hand, would be rooming in Patterson Square.

 They turned a corner and Patterson Square came into view. Roxas shouted, which made Sora shout until they were both just yelling a lot and Mrs. Keating had to yell _at_ them. They pulled in to a rather chaotic scene of young adults unloading cars and running in and out of the building with various boxes and clothes on hangers. They had forgotten it wasn’t just D Day for them. 

 Roxas, Sora could tell because he could always tell when it came to Roxas, was ecstatic at the atmosphere. However, because he had a reputation to establish he was not showing it to the fullest degree. 

 Roxas and Mrs. Keating helped Sora unpack and sort out his stuff from Roxas’. Sora, himself, ran inside to check in, which didn’t take long. He got himself a key and a room number, which was 14. 

 An attendant, who was super friendly for so early in the morning, got Sora a cart to wheel his stuff up with and they piled it up. When Sora looked as though he could wheel his stuff up with ease, Mrs. Keating gave him a hug and told him to keep Roxas in line. Then Sora went in for a hug from Roxas. However, the blonde intercepted this with a punch to his shoulder (The second punch today.) and a huge smile. 

 “Don’t act like I won’t see you in the next hour, dude. We might not have the same orientation but I will definitely see you tonight. I’ll text you my room number when I get it and we can go get dinner.” 

 Sora beamed. “Absolutely!! Don’t forget mine’s fourteen, okay?” Roxas waved at the air as though he already had the number memorized and this was inconsequential information. “Dude, we did it!! We’re finally _here.”_ Sora felt like he was going to rocket out of his own skin. If that was a thing you could do. 

 Roxas laughed and nodded. “I know…” he paused, taking in the atmosphere around them and laughed again. “ _I know!”_ Sora knew hew was more excited than he was letting on but he was smiling from ear to ear. 

 The two boys opted to fist bump instead and Sora added in Baymax’s signature ‘Balalala’ at the end. Roxas rolled his eyes at this. Then Sora was on his own. 

 He took a deep breath, gearing himself up for whatever was to come his way, and made his way through the front doors of his brand new apartment complex. 

 He had to be careful because he’d brought so much stuff it was hard to see around the cart and there were students _everywhere._ Running down the halls and dodging Sora and his cart. They were packing and unpacking and some were even tossing a football back and forth down the hallways. Most of them, if not all of them, were wearing Disney shirts or accessories and sporting Magic Bands. 

 Sora was in his own personal heaven.

 Not having stayed at the dorms in college, Sora didn’t know exactly what he was expecting, but whatever it was, the reality was _better._ This was paradise for a Disney kid like Sora. Which, he had to remind himself, these were all Disney kids. They were all kids just as obsessed with Disney and the parks as he was. He’d made it. He’d finally made it.

 Sora took the elevator, itching to talk to every person he passed, and headed down a hallway to find his room. The door was open before he even got the chance to knock. He also realized he was kind of nervous. Nervous…Excited? He wasn’t quite sure what the emotion was. 

 He slowly poked his head in through the door. Inside was a standard apartment looking area. There was a common living area and a kitchen. The kitchen looked equipped with pots and pans and cutlery and the common room had a small futon. 

 There were two bedroom doors on either side of the living room, which meant four boys to a space. There was a lot of light, which Sora loved and although it was almost a standard college dorm. He smiled and realized just how excited he was to meet his roommates. He even thought that the-

 “Hey. You’re uh…in the way.” 

 Sora jumped. No, like, he literally jumped. That wasn’t a literature exaggeration. He jumped, several inches off the ground before whirling around dramatically in a very Sora like fashion.

 A boy that was a good foot taller than him was standing behind Sora’s large amount of luggage and glancing around it. He had perfectly dyed silver, grey hair that hung slightly into his eyes and grew passed his shoulders. His eyes were a soft teal that stuck out vibrant with his silver hair (how _did_ he get it to be so grey in color? Sora heard that was really hard to do.) and he was wearing a dark blue hoodie with some sort of anime t-shirt underneath. The t-shirt looked like it had some kind of purple and green robot on it.

 

Before Sora could respond, the boy spoke with a well placed half smile and calm voice. “I’m Riku. Sora, right? I think we’re roommates.” 

 

 

 

 Roxas’ mother had a hard time dropping him off, which Roxas didn’t expect. She wanted to help him get his things upstairs to his room and help him unpack and basically humiliate him right at the get go. This wasn’t high school, it was college. Nobody else’s mother’s were helping them unpack. Although, Roxas was pretty certain that it was because they weren’t _letting_ them help. Which was exactly what the blonde was intent on.

 Once he finally managed to say goodbye to his mother and whisk her off down the road, he wheeled his luggage cart into the lobby and checked himself in. He was in room 813. For some reason, the number made him uneasy.

 Roxas made his was through the throngs of students celebrating their freedom and liberation from home, most of them shouting about how warm Florida was and how they’d come from snowy places like Colorado and New York City. Someone on Roxas’ floor had started singing ‘I Just Can’t Wait to be King’ and the entirety of the hallway had joined in. Roxas was smiling bigger than he had in awhile and he hardly noticed he was doing it.

 When he found his room, which was laid out very similar to Sora’s, and located his room on the left side. His name was written on a whiteboard that occupied the door, along with another’s. Roxas entered the room without much thought. What he found wasn’t what he had expected.

 The red stunned him at first and he blinked to make sure he was seeing what he was seeing. The guy looked way older than twenty due to his height and general demeanor. His general demeanor being he looked like someone who should not be anywhere near a Disney Park. Not only did he just look not…allowed, but he also looked as though he wouldn’t _want_ to be. He was decked out in a thin black shirt that was covered in holes and tight black leather pants. He also was leaning halfway out the open window smoking a bright red cigar. 

When he noticed Roxas through the haze that was beginning to circle the room, he blinked and uttered one word accompanied with a subtle wave. “Hey.” 

 

Roxas thought Axel was a weird name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll bet you all thought I was dead. Bam.
> 
> Here's an extra long chapter, which, I know doesn't make up for my disappearance. Please understand that I'm REALLY bad at keeping to a set schedule or updating as regularly as I should. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop though!! I post update posts on Tumblr and Twitter (Which you can find on my profile page!). 
> 
> I am so so so so sorry though. Truly. I am really excited to share this story with you guys my life is just extremely stressful and hectic. But!!!! Here's more!!!


	7. Once Upon a Dream

The Disney Look was a term that Walt Disney World required it’s Cast Members to adhere to. The look itself consisted of hair that was a natural color, cut and styled in a traditional way. No visible tattoos and no visible piercings. Clean cut and shaven for the men, no painted finger nails for the women, etc.

Roxas was pretty sure that the person he’d be sharing a space with for the next year was, in fact, breaking about seven rules just by his appearance alone. That wasn't to say that Roxas didn’t want piercings and tattoos nor was it to imply that he didn’t dress in a similar manner. (Roxas was a sucker for tiny holes in a dark stained t shirt. The grunge look always served him well.)

However, the rule breaking didn’t stop at the boy’s appearance. There was also the fact he was smoking on Disney property in a Disney run dorm. The fiery red hair could not have been Axel’s natural color, although he was claiming it was (It did match his eyebrows, however, Roxas figured he probably dyed those too.) Axel had his nose pierced on the right side with a ring, which was impossible to hide and…No. There was no way. It looked distinctly like Axel had small tattoos under his eyes. Axel was easily six feet tall.

Roxas looked at Axel with a complete disbelief. Whatever he had imagined his dorm mate to look like, Axel was the furthest thing from it.

Roxas was, of course, not made uncomfortable by the boy’s appearance or even the fact he was smoking. The blonde was no angel when it came to rule breaking and he had rubbed elbows with the best of the punk crowd back home. Somehow the skaters and punks just flocked together in a packaged deal. The natural order of things. Axel’s hair, tattoos and piercings were nothing new to Roxas. In fact, he had probably seen worse.

It was the fact that this particular roommate was working at Walt Disney World. The family friendly, most magical place on earth, multi- trillion dollar company. That Axel was allowed to work at such a kid friendly, clean cut job at all was a complete enigma to the blonde. Then, of course, the thought crossed Roxas’ mind that…Why would someone like Axel want to work there in the first place? Someone like him certainly didn’t look like a Disney fanatic in his leather pants, nose ring, and ripped black t shirt. The man seemed to fit into the sort of background of whirring tattoo machines or sitting on a stool in a dive bar swirling a back water beer and taking in the scenery while deciding whether he wanted to play pool or not. Not as a Walt Disney World Cast Member.

Roxas also had no idea how old Axel was. He knew there was no limit to what age you were to stay in the dorms and do the college program as long as you were enrolled in college itself but Axel looked way too old to be in the program. He had to be in his late 20’s, right? 28? Probably. The guy had the longest legs that the blonde had ever seen. Roxas was afraid to ask. The age question is always a tricky one with any person and Axel didn’t look like he’d appreciate being asked his age.

The fiery red head had introduced himself with a nod and a sly grin. He hadn’t said his name but gestured to the white board on the door with a shrug.

“Assuming that you can read.” He had said. His voice was even and low and made everything sound sarcastic, as though everything he spoke was nothing but a big joke. Roxas wasn’t sure that it wasn’t. Axel did, however, have the courtesy to ask the blonde’s name and if it was alright he was smoking.

Roxas, not wanting to be a nark (Did anyone even use that term anymore? Who knows.) and get off on the wrong foot with a guy like Axel (especially if he was his roommate) had just told him he also smoked and it was fine. Although, he was certain that Axel wouldn’t have cared what Roxas thought either way.

Axel was quiet and continued to smoke out the window discretely, while Roxas threw his trunk of clothes (considerably less than Sora had) onto the top, unoccupied bunk. The bottom, was obviously taken as a black duffel bag and red canvas backpack took up the space. That, and what looked like the contents of four jacket pockets littering the bedspread. Receipts, stray cigarettes, a lighter, some change, a wrapper from what looked like a lollipop, a few post it notes…

Despite all of that, Roxas wondered if Axel actually fit in the dorm bed itself without his feet dangling over the edge.

“So…” Axel said after a few minutes of pointed silence and watching the blonde unpack, in which Roxas was growing awkward and wondering if he should just leave the room. “First time?” Axel inquired, his green eyes trailed up to Roxas’ trunk on the top bunk and back down.

“…In a bunk bed?” Roxas asked sarcastically, knowing what Axel meant but looking to gauge the red head on his personality. That and he was a little irritated. It wasn’t doing him well to have someone watching you unpack like a great red hawk while they smoked.

Axel rose an eyebrow carefully before a grin split across his intense features and he chuckled. “A wise ass.” He said, glancing back out the window to take another puff off his smoldering cigarette. “Wanna know how many times for me?” Axel asked, the grin getting bigger as he stared out the window. “Three.” He held up three slender fingers toward Roxas without looking. “Which, incidentally…” The red head looked back over at Roxas as though he was about to tell him a very big secret. “…Is a magic number.”

  
Three. So Axel had done the college program twice and this was his third. He was definitely a veteran Cast Member then. Roxas began to open up the backpack he’d brought with him that was mostly his alarm clock and some knick knacks and fished out his phone charger.

“Okay. So if this is your third time, then you’ve been in college for at least three years, right? So that makes you…” Roxas mentally cursed himself for having to count on his fingers, especially in front of someone like Axel. Math had never been his strong point. “20?”

Axel laughed, a full bodied and exuberant laugh as though what Roxas said was funnier than it should have been. Roxas had a feeling that Axel always laughed that way, though. “24. I started college a year late.” He paused just to catch his breath and looked Roxas up and down as he took another long drag off of his cigarette. “If this is your first time that must make you 12, am I right?” Axel talked a mile a minute once you got him going, apparently. It seemed he had two speeds, slow and drawling or fast and exuberant.

Roxas couldn’t help the snort that rose in his throat. Because he didn’t want to seem as though what Axel said bothered him, he stopped midway and made a gagging cough instead, which wasn’t much better. “No.” He didn’t give his age. He didn’t need Axel to mock him for thinking that 19 was much older than 12, even though it was. Axel would probably just say ‘same thing.’ or something along those lines.

The red head hopped up from the window sill, even taller than Roxas had imagined him in his sitting position to be. He certainly didn’t look 20.

“Well, Roxas. Welcome to the Disney crew. Initiation is probably in order but I can get to that later, I suppose.” Axel smirked. “When you least expect it.”

Roxas didn’t like the sound of that but he also didn’t need to feel like he was in high school and he leveled Axel with a bored stare. “Sure can.” he muttered.

Axel laughed again and unexpectedly threw his arm around Roxas’ shoulders. “Well, fresh meat. If you need a map, help finding anything, need a run down of the rules, or would like a general or thorough explanation of anything…Don’t come to me.”

Roxas grimaced and leaned away from Axel slightly who smelled a lot like burning cigarettes and a backyard campfire. In fact, up close, Roxas was pretty sure those tattoos were sharpie. He didn’t know if that was embarrassing at the age of 24 or not but it probably was. “Well…Good to know.” Roxas was starting to wonder if you could request transfers.

Axel pulled away slightly and shrugged. “Just kidding. Go ahead, ask away.” Roxas scratched at his gelled hair, awkwardly. Axel was certainly something. He wasn’t anything like what Roxas had been expecting in a Disney roommate and, yet, here he was. Fiery hair to match his fiery attitude, supposedly.

Axel waiting expectantly for Roxas to ask him something and the blonde shrugged. “Okay…well thanks.” He said, unsure of what Axel wanted him to ask when he didn’t have any questions.

“Come on,” Axel said, crossing his arms and grinned. “Anything.”

“I don’t have anything to ask you, but I’ll keep it in mind, okay?”“Nope. Not good enough. Ask me one thing.”

“I said I don’t have anything to ask you.”

“Do it anyway.”

“No.”  
“Come on.”

Roxas and Axel continued like this for a solid minute, the older boy’s grin growing and Roxas’ voice getting louder each reply before the blonde got frustrated and blurted out the one thing he did want to ask.

“Why do you have fucking sharpie on your face?!”

Axel stared, his arms falling to his sides in disbelief and the nearly finished cigarette smoldering between his fingers, forgotten. Then Axel laughed fuller than he had before, if that was possible. Roxas had a feeling it was mostly because he, himself, could feel the red on his cheeks.  
“Because I can’t have the real thing when I’m at work, blondie, and I’m still here, aren’t I? Are those freckles of yours real or do you draw those on, too?”

“I’m Irish.”

“You want an award?”

Roxas glared at his roommate with a sigh. He was starting to remind Roxas of Hayner, which was a bad start if he thought about it long enough. He figured that if he had met Axel at 19 it would have been like a carbon copy of his loud mouthed and energetic friend. Wonderful.

Before Roxas could tell Axel to stop watching him unpack because, not only was it rude, it was creepy, there came a knock on the door frame.

“Yo! Already, Axel?”

The sound of another, higher pitched voice floated over the two and Axel didn’t turn toward the noise, although, Roxas did. There was another boy leaning against the door frame with a grin. He was blonde, however, unlike Roxas, not a light bleached blonde. It was more of a dirty, dish water blonde and to Roxas’ complete disbelief, arranged into a mullet in the year of 2015. Now that he thought about it, Axel looked like a punk straight out of the 90’s. Had everyone at Disney forgot what year it was?

The mullet boy was beaming from ear to ear.

“You got a new kid this year and you’re smoking already?” He said, crossing his arms as he continued to lean against the door frame. “Tut tut, Ax. How do you know he isn’t a snitch?”

Axel chuckled and went back to his window. “Shut up and look at him. Besides, he say’s he’s a smoker, too.”

Roxas wasn’t sure what Axel meant by ‘shut up and look at him.’. What was so revealing about him through his appearance in the first place? He also didn’t like how they were talking about him like he wasn’t around.

Roxas went back to his packing with a scowl.

“I’m not going to rat him out. I don’t give a shit. It’s not my business if his ass gets busted.”

The boy leaning against the door burst into laugher as though Roxas had just told the joke of the generation and a slight chuckle could be heard in Axel’s direction. The other boy was taller than Roxas, but not as tall as Axel and he made his way into the room to grab the lighter from the bottom bunk.

“Well then! G-o-o-o-d to know!” He dragged out all the syllables in good as he said it and Axel continued to ignore him. “Because I’m gonna light up next door and I need this.” The boy turned to Roxas with a smile and an outstretched hand.

“I’m Demyx. I’ll be your common room, kitchen buddy since I live across the hall. I work at The Sea’s with Nemo and Friends exhibit in Epcot.” Roxas took his hand, appreciating that Demyx was giving a better introduction than Axel had, even if he just lived across the common room. Plus, Roxas had a million questions about his position since that particular area was mostly a live aquarium.

“I’m Roxas. Nice to meet you. I’m at The Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios. For now. I mean, I really want to be in Magic Kingdom…” He smiled, awkwardly and was glad that Demyx, although also smoking in his room, was more open to talking about Disney itself then Axel. He was easier to talk to, at least.

  
“Aw, dude! You get to wear the bell hop outfit! I love the bell hop outfit!” Demyx laughed and glanced back over at Axel. “He told you his name right? He’s likes to pretend he’s hot shit because he’s been here longer than most of us but he’s a big baby.”

“Demyx, fuck you.” Axel said with a distinct guffaw. When he looked back over his shoulder you could see that he had smoked his cigarette right down the filter and was smiling. “You’re as annoying as ever. Ruining my pristine reputation.”

The corners of Roxas’ mouth twitched up in a smile.

“Alright.” Axel said, discarding his dead cigarette on the night stand that was wedged between the bunk beds and the back wall. “Magic Kingdom…Well, then I have one very important question for you, Roxas.”

Roxas rose an eyebrow as Demyx backed up to the door frame again to watch and Axel started on him. He didn’t stop either and although Roxas was good at holding his ground, Axel only left a few inches between them as he leaned down to look straight at the blonde. He wasn’t intimidated and was ready to take whatever Axel was prepared to dish out. Roxas could smell the stale cigarette left on the red head’s breath and it mingled with the ink from the sharpie. He had to fight the urge to scrunch up his nose.

“What…Is your favorite Disney movie?”

“Treasure Planet.” Roxas answered without hesitation, although he hadn’t been expecting that kind of a question from someone like Axel.

The taller boy looked surprised, his red eyebrows slowly ascending up his forehead before he paused. He gave a nod of obvious approval, impressed, and drew back to his full height.

“Welcome to the Disney Internship then, Roxas.” Axel slapped the blonde lightly on his shoulder.

Roxas couldn’t help but feel like he’d passed some sort of test. Axel followed Demyx who was grinning again through the open door, hands in his pockets. He glanced back over his shoulder with a shrug.

“Lady and the Tramp.” He paused, turning back around and raising his two fingers. “2.”

Axel was just full of surprises.

Roxas spent the rest of the afternoon in blissful silence because whoever lived across the hall with Demyx wasn’t around. He was tempted to peek into his across-the-hall mates (Dorm mates? Apartmates?) room, however, he figured that there was actually a chance the other boy was home and just not up for socializing yet.

He hung up most of his clothes, sure, however, Roxas spent most of the time making sure his ‘Disney look’ was okay for orientation purposes.

Honestly, he probably looked fine, however, Roxas had always been hyper aware of how he looked. He spent an undetermined amount of time getting ready for events. When he looked at his phone (which was piled high with 30 texts from a spiked haired someone) and decided he’d better see if he could meet Sora at the bus stop, he was wearing a baby blue short sleeve button up and chino shorts. He didn’t change his hair, however. If Axel could go around with his hair the color it was, Roxas should be allowed to swipe his up on the side. That should have gone without saying, in his opinion.

He was nervous, despite this process not being an interview and fairly painless from what he’d heard. Roxas could feel that edge he felt when having to be around a group of people he didn't know. He was uncomfortable, at best. This was a little more intense than your usual training session at a job. Mostly because Roxas would be around people who were doing the same thing as he was. This thing, being something he wanted really bad. The blonde had a fear that, somehow, everyone would know what to do before they were told and he’d be the odd one out.

Roxas had On Boarding, the process of getting your Disney ID photo taken and all things official, such as paperwork and W-2’s filled out. He had it with Sora, but, he sure wished his Traditions were with him instead.

Sora might’ve been meeting him at the bus stop so they could get their photos taken and hand in paper work but he wasn’t going to the same orientation as Roxas was. The brunette would be with other waterpark cast members and Roxas would be with Hollywood Studios members.

Supposedly, it was a chance to meet new people and branch out, which was what Sora and Roxas had talked about when deciding not to room together. However, now that Roxas was making his way through the hallways of his dorms, crickets bouncing around his stomach, he realized this may have not been the best idea. Maybe he should have brushed his hair down after all. What if they kicked him out on day one? Not even day one…day zero.

Roxas may have been nervous about the entire ordeal, however, Sora, who was already waiting for Roxas at the bus stop, was all beaming smiles and bouncing steps. Especially when he gave Roxas his personal brand of over the top waving as soon as he spotted him coming down the hill.

The brunette hadn’t made any attempt to brush his messy chocolate hair and that was just how Roxas liked him. Besides, seeing his familiar best friend was comforting, somehow. Sora was jittery too, Roxas could tell. However, it was a different kind of jitter. There was no other way to really describe it. Sora was ecstatic to the point of nerves. An interesting combination to witness while waiting for a shuttle on the curb.

“Hey.” Roxas said, breathlessly with a shrug and a raised hand as he joined Sora and what he could only assume as a couple other cast members, on the sidewalk.

The brunette had a mixed look of fake shock and real shock on his face at Roxas’ arrival announcement. A look that Roxas couldn’t say wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. “Hey?” Sora asked, incredulously, “That’s all you have to say, Roxas? Really?”

Roxas narrowed his eyes, playfully at his best friend, opting for a bit of mock annoyance to retaliate. “Whats it to you?”

Sora stuck out his tongue and Roxas felt his stomach jump a little again.

“We’re about to get on the shuttle to go to our orientation for friggin’ Disney World and all you can say is-“ Sora took a deep breath, his impression much to deep and dull for Roxas’ actual voice. “Hey.”

Roxas cracked a smile, albeit a bit nervously. “Shut up. I don’t sound like that. What did you want me to do? Run down the hill and jump on you singing A Whole New World?”

Sora grinned and Roxas knew the answer before he even said it.

“Yeah I did! Where’s your team spirit, Roxas?” Sora asked, tossing his hands in the air, dramatically.

“This isn’t a team, its a dictatorship.”

“Hehe” Sora giggled and Roxas got another weird feeling in his stomach that passed as soon as Sora’s giggle. “Disney Dictatorship.” Sora muttered, laughing quietly at his own joke.

“Fuck off.”

Sora put his hands behind his head to rock back on his heels. This was a Sora staple that Roxas was used to. He figured the brunette did that the first time he ever stood as a baby. He was the only respectable young adult that Roxas knew who could get away with being so animated. It just fit him to be over the top. It was a surprise that he wasn’t being a character in the parks. Roxas figured he would have done really well. Besides the mascot costumes that most people were casted as, Sora was really good looking. Not your average kind of good looking, either. Roxas blamed it on his perfect combination of sun kissed Italian skin, chocolate brown hair, and dazzling bright blue eyes. It was just a fact. The same way that the sun came up every morning and the moon came out every night. At least, thats what Roxas figured.

“Hey, your face is all red, dude. Are you that nervous?”

“What? Uh, yeah I guess. I dunno.” Roxas cleared his throat and shrugged. “Spaced out.” It was an average Florida day and although Roxas was used to the humidity he still blamed it on everything that went wrong whenever possible because he hated it so much. His sudden change in skin color was the perfect excuse to curse it again.

Sora laughed and Roxas figured it could be compared to what honey would sound like if it made a noise. Bright, shining and sweet. Then again, he was probably being a girl comparing something like that to anything. Especially to Sora's laugh. How stupid.

“Well wake the heck up!! Hey, did you meet your roomie? How is he?”

Roxas’ good mood mellowed and he scowled, just slightly at the thought of Axel. “…A piece of work.”

Sora raised an eyebrow and grinned from ear to ear, ready to listen to whatever came out of the blondes mouth and possibly memorize most of it. “Spill, man!”

  
Roxas should have been hyper aware of all the other people around them, talking excitedly and waiting for the shuttle, as well, however he was just focused on Sora. His best friend did that to him. So, instead of having anxieties about the general populace, Roxas told Sora all about his eccentric roommate, Axel and his aquarium fish friend, Demyx.

When he was finished, Sora actually looked impressed.

“Man! You're so lucky. Axel sounds really cool!”

“What? No he doesn’t. Maybe I described him wrong…He’s not cool. He’s just…weird.” Roxas paused and thought it over for a second. “Just…out there.”

Sora sputtered and whined like your first car that your dad bought you when you still had your permit and no license. “Well he sounds cool to me. Plus, you got to meet one of the ones across the hall. I have no idea who lives across the hall from me and I hardly got to talk to my roommate at all!”

“Yeah? Well what do you make of him?”

Sora shuffled a bit and flailed his arms around to indicate he didn’t really know. “He’s tall.”

“Well, so is mine.” Roxas replied with a chuckle. “Next.”

“No. Not at as tall as yours. Taller than us, though. He’s…sort of quiet?”

“Boring. Next.”

“He’s from Colorado.”

Roxas rose his eyebrows a bit. “Colorado? Doesn’t it snow there a lot?”

Sora nodded vigorously. “Yeah! He said that he snowboards in the winter but he’s super used to the mountains. He said it’s too flat here.”

Roxas whistled between his teeth. “Snowboarding, huh?” Roxas did not know how to snowboard, however, he wished he did. It was the only extreme sport kept from him while living in Florida. He could surf pretty okay (mostly he meant he could stand up for a second) and he was definitely decent at skim boarding, however, Roxas had never had the opportunity to snowboard. He wished he had though.

Sora seemed to find this funny and was snickering at Roxas before elbowing him in the ribs. “Dude, you have a serious board problem. Must be because they’re flat, like you are personality wise.”

“Fuck off.” Roxas said for the second time in their conversation. He smiled though, just before the bus shuttle was seen in the distance and pulled up to the curb. “At least I can ride one or two of them. You were not made for balance, my guy.”

“Ouch! Roxas, that stings.” Sora feigned this pain by placing his hand over his heart with a grin. “Also watch your swearing. You’re a respectable, Mouseketeer now. Just like me!”

The freckled boy rose an eyebrow and smirked. “So you were a Mouseketeer before you landed the internship, huh?”

Sora didn’t reply he just stared hard at Roxas and crossed his arms until the blonde gave in and laughed.

“You’re right.” Roxas said, agreeing with Sora’s expression. “You’ve been a Mouseketeer since you were born.”

“And you call me that all the time. This isn’t new information to you, Roxas!”

Both boys continued to harass each other while they boarded the bus, taking seats near the front. Sora was practically jumping out of his skin the entire ride. He was so excited that he was making Roxas more nervous. There was entirely too much energy in their area of the bus; negative or positive.

When they finally passed under the arches for Disney, Sora yelled like he normally did and several kids on the bus looked at him with concern, irritation, and some, admiration.Roxas kicked Sora’s leg under the seat to shut him up. This made him yell again.

It was like they were kids again going to Disney for the first time. They’d see it differently after this and they knew that. These parks had always been thrilling and exciting to both boys. A literal home away from home. A place where all of the stress of life melted from your person. It was a promise. A promise or a beacon of hope. It reminded you that things couldn’t be as bad as they seemed, not if a place like this existed. Both boys often wondered if this was what Walt wanted everyone who visited it to feel. It was classic nostalgia wrapped in the feelings of warmth, the touch of family, the spirit of home. You didn’t have time to think about that when you came to the park for the first time or any other time, really. You were too excited, full of plans and expectations and worried about whether the line for Peter Pan’s Flight was going to be too long or that your Fast Pass for The Star Wars: Star Tours might expire before the shuttle could get you from one park to another.

These feelings didn’t really hit you until the fireworks every night. The way they lit up the park and everyone, young and old, stood in silence and awe. With either the giant globe at Epcot as the backdrop or the silent and strong Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom. To the magical wizard hat at Hollywood Studios to the beautiful, iconic and downright heart skipping Disney Castle. When the fireworks lit up the sky and the music played along to the booms and bangs, that is when, even for a split second, you feel the way Walt probably did.

It almost felt like the fireworks. However, Sora wasn’t crying and nobody was silent to salute the day they’d spent in the parks. This was still as sacred as the first time. It sent an electric jolt up Roxas’ spine. For a split second, he was six again and talking to Sora again for the very first time in line for the tea cups. This was another first memory for them both to share.

When the bus pinged and the next stop flashed above the driver in neon letters, Roxas heard Sora squeak and the blonde had to hold back his fit of excitement, as well. It read Downtown Disney, which was where he and Sora were headed for their on boarding process.

The bus came to a stop in front of one of the many sidewalks that led to and from the bustling city streets of Downtown Disney. People, mostly families, were coming and going at each stop. Families that were out to get lunch or look at the art galleries and shopping districts. Some climbed back on the bus, headed back to the hotel to rest up before the evening or go swimming at a resort pool. They lost a few people along the way and even gained a few more. Typical bus procedure.

When they did come to their stop and hopped off the bus, it was a scene out of a movie for both boys who stood rooted to the sidewalk. They were on the side of the street opposite the front of the building they were headed towards. So when the bus pulled away both boys received their first real looks at the very big office like building that read ‘Casting Center.’ The bus did it in perfect time as though the big reveal to a fixer upper house was given on one of those homemaker shows on TLC.  
There was a pause for both of them, each getting a similar lump in his throat, until Sora pulled out his phone to take eleven pictures and three snap chats. He was frantic about not missing a thing and uncharacteristically serious about something that seemed so small in the grand scheme of things. Roxas laughed at him and shook his head as they crossed the street together with a few other cast members. Sure, Roxas was usually the one who took a lot of pictures for safe keeping, Sora was the snap chat expert.

“You are such a girl.” Roxas muttered, rolling his eyes and laughing as Sora took a picture of the street sign.

“Shut up! I am not! This is super important! We will never walk through these doors for the first time again, Roxas. This is a huge deal!”

Despite Roxas’ teasing, both boys hearts were pounding. This was the moment they had been waiting for. Ever since Sora’s graduation and the plans they had made to work at their favorite place in the world had unfolded, both boys had stared longingly at this building whenever their families would visit Downtown Disney, noses pressed against the rental car or standing in the parking lot. To some vacation goers, this was just another building. Maybe this was even sort of a plain looking office to those people. It blended into the background of Downtown Disney, unseen and rarely cared about by the millions of tourists and vacationers that passed it daily.

To Sora and Roxas, it was better than all the candy apples and the giant arcade that Downtown Disney had to offer in this moment.

Finally, it was their turn to walk through the doors.

Roxas elbowed Sora in the ribs without taking his eyes off of the building when they crossed the street.

Sora laughed. “I know!! Dude…I know!”

The blonde certainly hoped he did know because Roxas wasn’t sure he’d ever been so excited in his life. His pounding heart and Sora beside him were about all he could focus on. He’d kept his cool through a good majority of the trip but now it was all piling on him at once. Bad timing, really. He had to pose for a picture.

This was it. It was finally sinking in. This was not just another vacation. This was real.

The two boys crossed the street and were about to enter the building with bated breath when Roxas stopped Sora by grabbing his arm and yanking him back.

“Wait!”

The blonde looked at Sora in disbelief. Sora was the king of selfies and his friend had been about to walk straight into the building without even a second thought. Sora looked dazed and confused for a full twenty seconds until realization dawned on his features.

Roxas didn’t have to say anything, Sora understood with just a look. He’d always been good at reading Roxas’ eyes.

“Ah! Aw, jeeze, Rox. You’re right! I’m an idiot.”

Roxas nodded in agreement. Sora definitely was an idiot.

The two wouldn’t enter the building until they’d taken at least three selfies on Sora’s phone in various poses and gestures with the Casting Center sign sticking out prominently behind them. Then Sora embellished it on his line camera app and posted it to his Instagram before moving another step. This was important stuff. All of it.

As they finally made their way inside, Roxas wasn’t sure what he had suspected behind the doors he had stared at so longingly. Either way, it was pretty much your average office building. Then again, you’d never guess that with the hum of the crowd that was growing around them.

The few kids here were just as excited and nervous as Roxas and Sora were. You could see it on their faces. These kids had to be brand new as well because they also needed a picture taken for ID purposes, which was what on boarding was mostly about. In the large foyer there were lots of official looking people standing around but everyone knew to look for the on boarding room first and foremost. It was written in the letters they had received when they were accepted.

Roxas wanted to punch Sora in the arm the way they did when things got really exciting but he didn’t know if that was a good idea right now. Sora looked like he was going to rocket straight out of his shoes and possibly through a ceiling panel, which would be bad for morale and probably get them kicked out.

The process wasn’t actually that thrilling. It was really just a matter of signing in, waiting for your name to be called, presenting your papers that authorized you to work in the US and getting your photo taken. Easy stuff. On boarding wasn’t supposed to be much but just getting to access the Casting Center was enough to send Roxas and Sora both sky high.

Roxas would never let Sora forget that the brunette had to stop crying before he got his picture taken. (He hadn’t really cried, just gotten very teary eyed. They hadn’t spilled over just yet.)

They weren’t the only ones excited, however. There were plenty of kids, some younger and some older, who were just as pumped about the simple process. Besides, everyone knew what came next in one form or another. Traditions.

Sora asked the guy taking the ID photos to retake his picture twice. After the third time, he told Sora that no, he would not be taking another photo and that yes, he would have to just deal with his ID the way it was now. Roxas didn’t get to see it, however, Sora would claim it wasn’t perfect and that it wasn’t his angle. Roxas was pretty sure Sora was just upset it didn’t have a filter on it and he didn’t get to take it himself, selfie style.

Roxas wasn’t displeased or pleased with his own photo. Although, he was pretty sure his legitimate excited face just made him look like he was faking it. He wasn’t. He had just never seen himself look so ecstatic and didn’t like the result. Despite only the security guards in the parks ever seeing it, he winced at it when he saw it.

When the two boys exited the Casting Center, despite silly things like ID pictures, they were walking on air.

Sora had immediately whined that he couldn’t tuck his ID into his brand new lanyard he had purchased on Ebay a month ago. It had Winnie the Pooh in various poses on it and although Roxas had called it gay, Sora thought it was respectfully adorable. He had been waiting to put his Disney ID in it for months. However, he’d have to wait until after Traditions to get the actual badge.

 

“Okay. So now that we’ve done that…DTD lunch before orientation?” Sora asked, hands on his hips and a grin on his face. Not that Sora didn’t usually have a grin on his tan face.

Roxas smiled and nodded towards the opposite side of the street that opened to the myriad of shops and entertainment. “I guess. Nothing crazy expensive, though, okay? I’ve got a limited amount of cash until we get paid in two weeks and I don’t want to blow it on stuff we already have done a million times.” He paused and laughed. “At least…not right away.”

No matter how many visits to any part of Disney, whether it be a park or restaurant, Roxas and Sora treated it as a lifetime opportunity. Nothing ever got old for them. Plus, they had practically done everything at least once, so avoiding places they’d already been seemed nearly impossible. Despite having just eaten at Downtown Disney a week before, both boys were still ready to dive right back in.

Sora nodded and ran a hand through his already messy hair and started toward the many shops with Roxas in tow. “Deal. You wanna get appetizers at Ragland Road?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Roxas made a face. “No. You know I don’t like eating there. The food is…mostly authentic but I always want it to taste like my mom made it and it never does. Plus, the step dancing when you are actually Irish is an obnoxious thing to have to sit through.” This may have made Roxas a bit of a snob, but it was true. The food wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t Roxas’ mom’s cuisine. Which was more than authentic. Plus, he didn’t know anyone in his family that actually step danced.

Sora, still grinning, bumped shoulders with Roxas. “I forgot you’re roots, man. Sorry. Can we order appetizers at the T-Rex instead?”

“You dino-fucker. Hell yeah.”

When it actually came time to part ways and go to their respective Traditions, Roxas was shaking like a leaf. Maybe it was better that Sora didn’t have his orientation with him. Roxas wasn’t so sure he wanted Sora to see him so nervous. Sora was a different kind of nervous energy. It was an energy that breathed color into him. He bounced and smiled and talked more than he already did, if you could believe it. Roxas was the opposite. He was quiet and jumped at noises. He was one worded answers or really weird facts about pointless things, no inbetween.

He wished, at least in this particular instance, that he had Sora’s type of nerves and not his own. The brunette had slapped him across the back six times and then hugged him twice before jumping onto a bus that took you toward the waterparks. This left Roxas standing alone on the sidewalk, chewing on the inside of his cheek and wishing he had gotten on that bus with his best friend.

He waited with a cluster of more passerby's until another bus pulled into view. This one read Hollywood Studios as a destination. Roxas flashed the driver his ID, which was now his respective bus pass and took seat in the back of the bus. It wasn’t like the ride to On Boarding. Roxas didn’t have Sora to talk to and he wasn’t as excited as he thought he’d be. His nerves overrode his enthusiasm in a big way. Though, when he thought about it, that happened a lot in his life. Pity.

The monster in his stomach did not leave him alone and when the kid in the seat behind him poked him really hard in the back of his head, he nearly punched her out of relfex.

“Hey. I can hardly see over your hair its so gelled up. Did anime class run late?” She asked with a teasing smile. “Not enough time to shower before Traditions? And don’t try and tell me that isn’t where you’re going. You’ve got fresh meat written all over you.”

Roxas never talked to girls much, however, when he did he always found himself with an immeasurable headache. This girl sitting behind Roxas was definitely enjoying herself at his expense. She had short, cropped jet black hair and subtle light blue eyes. Her smile was small, despite her attitude. Roxas put on his trademark scowled and rolled his eyes. “Did anyone teach you not to poke people in the back of the head?” he asked. “At least they taught me that in anime school…” He shrugged, hardly glancing back at the girl. “Look out the window if I’m bothering you so much.”

“Touchy.” The girl responded, her smile looking more grin by the second. “So what’ll it be, Sonic?”

Roxas blinked, confused by the nickname and the question. “What will what be?” He was obviously annoyed but it didn’t seem to be affecting this girl in the least.

“You know…Where’d they put you?” She paused as Roxas rose an eyebrow. “In the parks, dummy. What’s your position?”

Realization dawned quietly on Roxas’ face and he shrugged, not sure he wanted to tell the girl on the bus where exactly he’d be working, lest she never leave him alone. “Hollywood Studios.”

“No shit. This is the bus for Hollywood Studios. Where in HS?” She started again with an easy roll of her eyes.

“Oh. Tower of Terror.”

“That so? Bell hop boy.” The girl then moved from the seat she was in to bunch Roxas up against the window without asking for his permission and seat herself next to him, along with her backpack. He was mortified. “I’m Xion and I hate the Tower of Terror. It makes me sick.”

Roxas stared at the girl, incredulous. He wanted to stew in his anxieties, not have to carry on a conversation with someone he’d never met. Sure, Sora and him talked about making new friends all the time. That was the reason they had come here. He just wasn’t good at communicating with girls. Olette was fine, he’d known Olette forever, however he always felt he was going to say something stupid around girls. He was just generally uncomfortable most of the time. She was also staring at him as though she’d asked him a question and was currently waiting for the response.

Roxas scowled at his shorts in annoyance. “…If you want my name it’s Roxas.”

Xion shrugged and smiled that soft smile again. “Nice. A name. Well, Roxas I’m working on the Star Wars stage show. I get to wear the Jedi outfit. Better than the bell hop.” She was smirking again. Her expressions were subtle but readable. “Are you a full time or part timer?”

Roxas shrugged. “Neither? I guess. I’m with the College Program.”

Xion’s dark eyebrows rose up under her bangs. “A CP? Oh, cool. First time?” Roxas nodded and the girl smirked. “You’ll be like my older sister. I can tell.”

“Your sister? What does that mean?” Roxas asked with another shrug, his MO today, apparently.

“It means that you’ll do the college program but they’ll offer you a full time position at the end of your term.” The bus made a noise as the brakes hit and a recorded voice announced that they had arrived at Hollywood Studios park. Xion stood and threw her backpack over her shoulder. “And you’ll say yes.”

She motioned to Roxas to follow her off the bus and he did so, warily. This was his stop after all. Star Wars. She’d probably look good in the Jedi outfit, though if he had to place her so far, Roxas wouldn’t consider her a rebel. More alliance.

Well, Xion had done one thing for Roxas and that was distract him from his nerves. Now that he was on the pavement and much closer to his destination, it was a little easier. Roxas figured that was because of the rapid increase in people around him. Families, friends, and, an abundance of small children and teens filled the platform area around Hollywood Studios. Roxas, however, wasn’t entering in the usual way he was used to but he wished he was.

He wished he was thinking about buying ice cream and riding the Rock N’ Roller Coaster. Maybe seeing the Indiana Jones show and going to beat the high score on the Toy Story blaster ride. All of this, with Sora, of course. He didn’t have time to feel too worried about this though as Xion bumped her shoulder into his. When had they become so familiar? She was a lot smaller looking at her now standing on the bright and sunny pavement. She must’ve been 5’1 or 5’2 with her small frame. Sora and Roxas were almost the same height, Sora being a little taller than the blonde. Roxas didn’t know too many people shorter than him.

“Are you looking for where the CP’s are supposed to go?” she asked. “I can take you, if you are. You’ve been here two seconds and you already look lost, bell boy.” She was smirking again. Between soft smile and smirk it was hard to keep up.

“Uh. Yeah. Sure. I guess. But I’ve been here a hundred times. It’s not the park that isn’t familiar. Don’t worry.” He didn’t want anyone thinking he wasn’t fully versed on Disney World and all of its whereabouts and destinations. Apparently, Xion thought this was funny because she laughed. Her laugh was quiet and subtle, just like her emotions.

“You’re nervous. Relax, okay? This isn’t a big deal. They’re just going to give you a tour and get you your passes at the end of it. They’ll remind you to smile because you’re in Disney in every two minutes and you have an image to uphold, but that is basically it. Everyone has to do it. Besides, if you’re here, then that means you love Disney and from your speech just now, Disney World, too. So you’ve been looking forward to this, right?”

Roxas’ arms dropped from the defensive crossed position he had assumed. Xion had just pointed out the painfully obvious. Roxas and Sora had been excited to do this for a year, maybe more. They had been ecstatic through every process of it. Roxas was so nervous he’d almost forgotten his excitement. But how could Xion read him so easy? They’d only just met.

“Bingo.” She muttered, watching Roxas. “I think I hit the nail on the head. I could tell you were sweating bullets a mile away.” Xion said it with a shrug of her small shoulders. She nodded toward the side of the entrance and lead Roxas away from most of the crowds, toward what looked like the parking lot.

Roxas rolled his eyes at her comment as they joined a small group of young adults and teenagers which were facing a very large gate which could only be the side entrance to the park itself. Xion stopped and nodded to indicate that this was indeed where the other CPs had indeed gathered for orientation, which was where Roxas needed to be. He smiled, despite their initial weird meeting on the bus. “Well, thanks. You probably have to get work if you’re here, right?” He said, although Xion didn’t look as though she was dressed for work at all. Roxas figured she probably put her outfit on for the stage show right before it.

“No, you dummy. I’m here for orientation, same as you.” She said kicking at the ground in a way that wasn’t nervous, but agitated, almost. She stared at Roxas with an eyebrow raised as though he really was stupid.

Roxas gaped at her. “But you never said…”

“You never asked.”

Of course. Girl logic, apparently. “Then, how is it you know so much about orientation and knew where to go?” Not to mention she wasn’t nervous looking at all.

Xion gave him a smirk and chuckled. “I got the inside scoop from my older sister. She did the program last year. I wasn’t old enough. I’m only eighteen.” Roxas got the vibe that Xion had wanted him to think she was already established as a cast member at the park and he’d definitely fallen for it. “Anyway, Did you eat something before you came here?” She asked, tossing her hands into her capri pockets, calmly.

“Hey, don’t ‘mom’ me. We just met. But, yeah. I ate plenty, why? I don’t have time to get anything now.” Roxas had definitely ate more than his fair share with Sora at Downtown Disney. The appetizers from the T-Rex restaurant were still rolling around in his stomach.

“Well you’re not going to eat for awhile and I want to make sure you don’t regurgitate all over Mickey Mouse.”

Roxas got a puzzled look on his face as they walked. “You mean, the King is here?” he said, without thinking much about who he was talking to.

Xion looked at Roxas, quizzically, as they waited for someone to begin the Traditions process. “The…King?” She asked, tucking a strand of hair behind one of her heavily pierced ears.

Roxas could feel his face go hot. He had adapted Mickey’s nickname from Sora. The tan boy wouldn’t have blinked an eye but Xion was a different matter. “Y-yeah. You know. Mickey.” Roxas tried to play it off like this was normal but he knew his burning freckles and ears would get the better of him.

“You call Mickey Mouse 'the king'?” Xion asked, a half smile forming on her face. It was Roxas’ turn to put his hands in his pockets. He did this while looking anywhere but at Xion.

“Well, doesn’t everyone?” He said with a huff and another shrug. Xion, however, did not laugh at Roxas, as he expected. She nodded, instead.

“Actually, that makes a lot of sense.” She said with a smile. “He kind of is the King.”

Roxas decided she wasn’t so bad to have as a new friend.

 

Sora thought that Disney World held no more surprises for him. He figured that, at this point, there was no reason to be caught off guard. Sure, they updated the fireworks show and the parade themes changed, and of course, Sora still watched things and enjoyed them immensely. Everything that Disney offered. However, Sora considered himself an expert. A connoisseur of Disney and Walt Disney World, alike.

So when he was given a tour of the waterparks back entrances and underground tunnels, he reached a new level of euphoria.

Traditions was thrilling to Sora, which, seemed to be what half of the kids attending it thought. The other half, seemed bored and ready to move on. One kid sighed and said this was like any other job orientation he’d ever attended. Sora thought he was insane or, possibly, extremely sick.

Sora bounced around the entire tour. He bounced through the basics of the handbook and he bounced through his job description. He was practically on fire. He just couldn’t sit still. He raised his hand for every question, hypothetical or not, and he was pretty sure he annoyed at least three people. It didn’t matter though. He was here. He was finally at Disney as an employee and not a customer. A Cast Member and not a Guest. He was flying higher than he had in months.

If Sora knew that Roxas had made a new friend through Xion, he would have been rather jealous. Jealous that Roxas had made a new friend and he hadn’t and jealous that someone had take his friend.

However, someone had noticed Sora’s innate bouncing and general excitement halfway through the tour of the facility and had made a joke to him about the tour guides lisp that made him have to cover his mouth so as not to get kicked out.

“You’re the second Riku I’ve met today. Does everyone here have the same name?” He asked the natural blonde who was just as bouncy as he was. She laughed, however and shook her head.

“Really? I’ve never met another Rikku. Two k’s or one?” She was tall for a girl, Sora’s height and had her very long hair up in a high ponytail, strands of it falling down in braids here and there, that sat on her head. She was wearing a blue bandanna and shorts that looked like they probably weren’t regulation height.

Sora hummed and put a finger to his lips, thinking carefully. “I…think one? I think that’s what was on the board in my room. R-i-k-u.” He said, spelling out what he hoped was what he had seen written on the white board for his roommate.

The girl giggled and shook her head. “Well mine is spelled with two k’s, which I think is the female spelling. Your other Riku must be a boy, right?” She, too, was practically bouncing from foot to foot, almost as excitable as Sora was in the moment.

“Yeah! He’s my roommate.” Sora said with an excited nod before both of them got ‘shhh!’-ed by a two other kids standing nearby who were actually paying attention to what the current Traditions leader was saying.

“Ready to clip life jackets on little kids all day?” Rikku asked Sora with a big smile. “Personally, I’m super pumped we’re outside. I love the water and I love that I get to keep my tan while I’m here.”

Now that she mentioned it, she did have a really nice tan going on. Sora figured she was kind of sporty from the look of her. She looked like one of the girls back home who would probably play soccer or run track. Maybe both. She could definitely be on the basketball team with her height. Either way, she probably got out of bed at 7am and went for a run.

Sora smiled and nodded. “Me too! I’m from the North so I was excited to enjoy the warm weather. I was worried I’d be in a stuffy warehouse all day or something. I mean, I really wanted Magic Kingdom, but Roxas and I are going to transfer as soon as we can!” Sora said this was a determined nod and his voice low so as not to distract the rest of the group from actually listening.

“Roxas?” Rikku put her hands on her hips. “Is that your boyfriend?”

Sora sputtered and had to stop himself from shouting. “Why does everyone always think that?” He whispered loudly, his cheeks getting hot for no reason. Usually, this didn’t bother him, but Rikku had never even seen Roxas and him together. Sure, they had a ton of inside jokes and they could be sort of touchy but both of them were straight so he never understood the implication. This time, however, he was a little more abrupt with his clarification. “Roxas is my best friend.”

“Don’t get your boxers in a twist, Sora. I just wondered!” Rikku giggled and Sora gave a smile and a shrug, his face still a bit red.. “But Magic Kingdom isn’t my favorite park. I wanted the Water Parks! I love them. Epcot is my favorite though. I like feeling like I’ve traveled the whole world in three hours. Magic Kingdom is too crowded with little kids for me.”

This was insane information to Sora, who thought Magic Kingdom was probably the single most amazing place ever to exist in the span of time. However, to each his own and they were nearing the end of the orientation so Sora figured maybe he should actually pay attention to what was going on. From the sound of things, they were getting their passes and official badges any minute now. There wasn’t a lot of things to make Sora go quiet, however, this was one of them.

Mostly because Mickey Mouse himself had arrived on the scene. It was the same Mickey that Sora had seen in the parks a million times, however, this felt somewhat more official and for a moment, made Sora rather nervous. I mean, after all, it was The King, regardless of whether that meant just another cast member in a suit.

According to the current person that was speaking, they’d be called up alphabetically to receive their IDs and Mickey Mouse, himself, would present them, welcoming them officially as Cast Members. This information was so mind boggling for Sora that he nearly fell out of his seat. Rikku laughed when she looked at him. “It’s not a test, Sora. Chill!”

But Sora was so far from ‘chill’ he didn’t even know where to begin. They they started listing off names. Sora wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not but he might have been shaking while he waited. Rikku tried to tell him something but Sora was so intense he hardly heard her.

Oh, no. They were in the M’s now. That was way too fast. How many kids were at this thing, anyhow? M was a way’s down the alphabet. Why didn’t any of these kids have last names that ended in B or E?

“Sora Marino!” The girl called out, however, despite his shakiness, absolute out of control excitement, and the fact Rikku had to kick him to jump start him, Sora bounded up to the front like it was no big deal. He was grinning so much that the older Cast Member calling out names couldn’t help but laugh and smile, too before nodding Sora in the direction of Mickey Mouse.

Sora’s eye’s were shining by the time Mickey handed him his ID and he was trying really hard not to let the water works start. Mickey had given everyone a hug but Sora took his as though he was the only Cast Member receiving one. When the hug was broken and the women who had laughed welcomed Sora to the team, the tan boy saluted Mickey, over the top and excited, just like he was known for. Some of the kids might’ve laughed at him, but Sora didn’t even notice.

“Thanks, your majesty!” He offered Mickey, who surprised at first, saluted him back. Sora didn’t notice the kids who snickered or the ones who raised their eyebrows and looked like he was the weirdest thing they’d ever seen with his messy chocolate hair and exuberant attitude. He was on cloud nine.

Sora was beaming violently when he sat back down in his seat, his knuckles white from gripping his new Disney ID and Badge.

“Hey are you crying, you weenie?” Rikku asked sympathetically, elbowing Sora in the side softly.

He didn’t say anything but he shook his head. He was smiling, however, now that he was back in his seat, Sora was also definitely crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked me on Tumblr if I planned on finishing this fic and I told them Absolutely, 100%.
> 
> I don’t want to give you guys a bad story and with the way my schedule is and the stress that I’m under with life right now, I haven’t had the drive I needed to plow through chapters. I just don’t ever want to give you guys a half assed version of the story I’m trying to tell, so I’m going to take my time on it. I’m sorry its been so slow coming, though. Really. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about that fic. I think about it constantly. You guys still supporting it is really wonderful, honestly and I thank you so so much!! 
> 
> I just got a brand new and insanely well paying job. So I should be a lot less stressed. Please be patient with me though!! I'm sorry to be such a pain sigh.


	8. Something There

There were a million and one advantages to living away from home. 

For one, you didn’t have to clean anything up. This was discovered by Sora quickly. Nobody asked him to do the dishes and the pile in the sink that steadily grew wasn’t noticed by his other roommates the way that a mother would notice. Perhaps, they did notice, they just didn’t care. The only downside to this was the fact that you did, eventually, run out of dishes. Of course, there were always paper towels for makeshift plates in a last ditch effort to avoid responsibility. 

You could eat six microwave burritos at once. Seven, if you were Riku. Of course, this was largely due to the fact that microwave burritos cost sixty-nine cents at the gas station on the corner. Working and living on the property of a multi-billion dollar resort gave little hope of finding anything cheap to actually consume. The closest McDonalds required a bus ride unless you wanted to brave walking along the tourist trap highway. Which, no one did because that was suicide due to how bad most of those tourists drove. $1 McChickens were a luxury and, therefore, so were sixty-nine cent microwave burritos.

Sora and Riku usually bought them by the retail box which consisted of twenty four. It made their freezer look full, if anything.

Laundry got done when you felt like it and if you wanted to stay up all night watching horror movies when you worked at seven in the morning, that was your choice. For Sora, who had not transitioned to dorms when he began college it was a paradise as well as a culture shock. For instance, it’s embarrassing when you wake up with no clean underwear or you wake up from a night of zoning out watching television until 5am to what feels like a hangover, but isn’t. 

There were also a billion and one advantages to living at a Disney resort.

Perhaps the most important advantage to that was that Roxas could, and usually would, end up at your apartment dorm unannounced. Also, vice versa. This was new for both Sora and Roxas and neither one of the best friend team could quite get over it. 

Both boys had each other’s schedules memorized as soon as they received them. 

The day that Sora finished his first shift, Roxas has darted over to see him so fast that Sora had practically just hung his keys on the hook by the door before the blonde banged on it. 

Riku was sitting at the kitchen table, watching something in Japanese that Sora couldn’t understand. Of course, Riku probably couldn’t understand it either without the subtitles. He rose an eyebrow at the just out of work and slightly damp water park employee who shrugged with a lopsided grin. 

When Sora unlocked the door to let his best friend in, Roxas shoved the door open with all of his might and pinned Sora behind it against the wall.

“Roxas!! God!!” 

“Don’t call me God. It’s too formal. Christ will do.”

“Get off. The closet doorknob is digging into my spine. What would you have done if someone else had answered the door?!” 

“Baby.”

“Don’t change the subject! I’m not a baby!”

“What’s the password?”

Sora whined and shoved at the door, which made Roxas shove back. 

“People in the hallway are looking at us.” Sora whined again and formed a pout, which made him figure Roxas was right about him being somewhat of a baby.

“What. Is the password?”

“My roommate is here!”

Roxas paused just long enough to take in Riku sitting at the kitchen table. He had paused his anime and was staring at Roxas and Sora with a look of amusement, resting his head in his palm, silver hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. He’d paused his anime to enjoy the antics in his apartment threshold.

“‘Sup.” said Roxas with a nod as though this was completely normal behavior to be having in the presence of someone you’d never met. Sora cursed under his breath. He thought he could at least embarrass Roxas enough to earn his freedom. He was wrong. 

Riku shook his head. “Don’t stop on my account, but Sora owes me money for pizza from last night so at least find out where his wallet is before you crush him.”

“Noted.” Roxas replied continuing to put pressure on the door while returning his attention to the squirming boy behind it. “What’s the password, Sora?” 

Sora growled a warning because Roxas was so dead when he got this door off of himself. He was getting the wedgie of a lifetime. However, Sora knew how this went and Roxas wouldn’t quit until he got his way. He muttered the password and unfortunately for himself, he knew Roxas had not heard it. 

“What?” Said the blonde, eyes turning to slits just as Sora had imagined. “Can’t hear you.”

“Riku is never going to talk to me again.” Sora hissed from behind the door where he was pinned. How dare Roxas ask for the password when he hadn’t even met Sora’s roommate. What a little toad. 

Roxas didn’t reply, he just put more pressure on the door. Disney really needed to get lighter doors and have better security, Sora figured. It didn’t take long for him to crack though. He knew Roxas would never give up. Experience was a damn good teacher. “Fine! Obi-Wan Kenobi takes ten dicks!” 

The blonde snorted, his face screwing up at the effort of trying to hold it back before laughing enough to let the pressure off the door and free Sora from behind it. Sora surged forward, slamming the door closed behind him and tackling Roxas onto the entry way carpet. “You’re such a turd!” Sora struggled with trying to get Roxas onto his stomach. “Turn over so I can give you an atomic wedgie!” 

Roxas, however, was lying on his back, still laughing a full bodied laugh with a very disgruntled brunette sitting on his stomach. Through his laughter he snorted “It was eleven dicks but you said it! I can’t believe you said it!” 

“You were going to kill me!” Sora whined, throwing his hands up in the air, dramatically. “I was going to have death by doorknob. They were going to have to pry the doorknob to the closet out of my crushed spine. The first CP to ever die in his own Disney dorm. They would have written stories about me, Roxas!” Sora pinned his best friend’s hands above his head and glared with what he hoped was a threatening expression.

Roxas shrugged, a playful smile dancing across his lips, the last of a few chuckles still slipping past them. “You would love that, Sora. You would be tickled if people wrote stories about you. Besides, you had pizza without me. Your roommate just said so.”

Sora, who was still sitting on Roxas’ stomach to pin him to the ground, was debating whether or not he should dangle spit over Roxas the way Vanitas did to him when they were younger. Unfortunately, he thought this over while staring at Roxas. The brunette figured that anyone having freckles should be illegal because for some reason it was impossible to stay mad at Roxas for longer than a second and he figured it had to do with the freckles. Freckled people always looked innocent, even if they weren’t and Roxas had so many they trailed from his cheeks to the tips of his ears and down to his neck and shoulders. Unfair.

Sora also did feel kind of bad for not even telling Roxas about the pizza even though they had been texting all night. It had just slipped his mind. Besides, he was pretty sure Roxas had reached his social quota for the day and hadn’t wanted to force him to come over to a noisy apartment. 

“There’s some in the fridge. If Riku is still speaking to me and not asking for a transfer, you can ask him if you can have some. He paid for it.” 

Sora was bright red at the thought of Riku, who was listening and watching this entire exchange occur. Riku was quiet and he always sounded so calm. Sora thought he sounded like he had the unspoken words of an apology on his lips at all times. Simple things like ‘Did you want a soda from the fridge?’ came out to somehow sound like ‘I sincerely apologize for asking if you want a soda from the fridge, but do you?’ He wasn’t sad or depressing, not in the least. Just careful, perhaps? It always made Sora want to tell him it was okay although Riku wasn’t actually apologizing. He was a year older than the brunette but he seemed like he’d been through something that aged him more. Sora kind of liked that about him though, it was comforting. 

He heard Riku chuckle from the kitchen. “I don’t know about the pizza, but, how many dicks does Obi-wan take again? I think you both gave different numbers. Maybe I should just ask Obi-Wan what the actual number is. I mean, we wouldn’t want to start rumors about how much he can take at once. The rebels would talk. That would be rude.” 

Roxas cackled from underneath Sora who could feel his ears burning. He still had Roxas’ hands in his grip and leaned down so that they were both nose to nose. Roxas always smelled salty. He used some sort of hair product that had sea salt in it that was supposed to make your hair look like you’d recently been to the beach. Wind swept? Whatever it was it kept his hair in that fluffy side spike he was so fond of. Sora knew his sea salt and sun tan lotion kind of smell well.   “When you least expect it…” Sora warned, sneering at Roxas. “ I’ll get my revenge. Just you wait.” 

The brunette expected the blonde to laugh or sneer right back with some kind of quip, but Roxas looked…stunned. Almost deer in the headlights stunned. He was staring at Sora as though he’d just noticed him for the first time, sitting on his stomach. Sora was kind of weirded out by the silence and the look of exasperated awe that had settled on his best friends freckled face. Apparently his threat was more scary than he’d intended.

Sora tried clearing his throat, feeling more awkward by the second. It was just a joke. Why was Roxas taking it so seriously? He also looked suddenly a little red. Maybe he’d gotten sunburned and Sora hadn’t noticed because his back was pinned against the closet door. When his cleared throat only prompted Roxas to blink and swallow hard, Sora went to option B and blew a raspberry, loud and wet, right in Roxas’ face. 

That worked.

The blonde yelped and threw Sora off of him before jumping up off the floor in that graceful skater way the brunette admired and rubbing his face on his shirt sleeve. “You…asshole!!” 

Whatever awkward silence that had settled was immediately disturbed and dispersed. Which almost made Sora want to sigh in relief. Weird. He had never felt that way with Roxas before. Then again, it didn’t really matter. Wasn’t really that big of a deal, anyhow. As Roxas began to talk about pizza and work again and meander into the kitchen to actually introduce himself to Sora’s roommate, the brunette shrugged and put it out of his mind. Well…most of it. It was hard to shake that look Roxas had given him. The deer in the headlights kind of look. Shocked, and maybe a bit…scared? Sora had certainly never seen Roxas scared of anything. It was like Roxas had seen Sora do something he shouldn’t have. Something that was out of character maybe? 

He shook his head. Now he was the one being quiet and weird. 

“-but because we were talking about Anakin and Obi, I made the joke and Sora lost his mind. It just kind of stuck. Right, Sora? You used to think the password was the funniest shit in the world.” 

Password? Oh. Right. Back to reality, Sora. Real life things going on in front of you. The world didn’t stop for your thoughts. Riku did deserve an explanation after what he had witnessed.

“Oh! Yeah! It’s still funny as heck. Its just less funny when you find yourself…you know…” He shot Roxas a fake look of irritation. “…fighting for your life.”

Roxas snorted and Riku chuckled. “You two usually throwing each other around the living room floor?” 

“Nah.” Roxas said with a shrug as he moved to dig around in Sora’s apartment’s fridge. “But only because we live so far away or we’d do it more often.”

For some reason, Sora didn’t like how Riku had worded that nor Roxas’ reply. It made him nervous.

Sora was really terrible at introductions, however, fortunately, Roxas knew this. He didn’t wait for there to be an awkward silence as both Riku and the blonde waited to speak. Roxas simply introduced himself by clasping hands with Riku the way boys did. They exchanged names and Roxas told Riku he was ‘Sora’s best fuckin’ friend, my guy.’ Sora thought it sounded like a warning for some reason. Then they discussed anime, to which Sora had to admit, he was only half listening. 

The next few minutes mostly consisted of Roxas picking up items in the fridge and holding them in Sora’s line of view and asking ‘Yours?’. When Sora would say no, the blonde would throw whatever it was back in the fridge, but if Sora said yes, he would take it out and examine it and decided if he wanted to consume it or not. 

When Roxas had fully pawed through the fridge (and proceeded to find himself a slice of bacon pizza and a banana popsicle that Sora was pretty sure was another roommates,) Sora and him left Riku to his anime and headed into the living room to sit on the couch so that Sora could tell Roxas all about his first day working for Walt Disney World. 

“Your roommates cool. He’s …chill, you know?” Roxas sat on the couch with his legs pulled up and hugged to his chest. “I feel like every nerd I meet is over the top but he’s not like that at all.”

Sora tilted his head in the kitchen’s direction. “Yours aren’t chill?” 

Roxas rubbed the back of his neck and messed his hair up. Two of his nervous habits in one. “Well…I met Zexion this morning. He’s really chill. Like the description of chill. He wouldn’t tell me what he does. I mean, more like he didn’t tell me what he does and I didn’t want to ask. He’s almost…too chill. Weird vibe, you know? Not friendly, not unfriendly. Reads a lot.” Roxas shrugged and squirmed a bit on the couch. “And you know, I told you about Axel. Demyx is overly friendly.” Sora knew how Roxas was and overly friendly meant that Demyx was probably loud and wanted to be social with everyone too often for the blonde’s liking. Roxas was an introvert at heart. Sometimes just asking Roxas about his day when he came in the door set him off. This, of course, was where the two differed. “What about your other two? Riku can’t be your only roommate.” 

Sora shook his head and stretched his legs out. “Nope! I met them this morning, too. Before my shift. They’re really nice! Zidane is small and because he’s small he got a mascot job. He said he’s usually either Turk from Tarzan or Stitch. I guess he did a lot of gymnastics as a kid or something so he jumps around and does cartwheels a lot. He works in Animal Kingdom only, though. So I guess the Stitch in MK is someone different. He’s really cool, though! I didn’t get to talk to him for long but I like him! He’s rooming with his best friend, Vivi.” 

Zidane was a firecracker, even early in the morning, but his best friend Vivi was a quiet boy with jet black hair and bright hazel eyes that looked yellow in the right light. He seemed to stick to Zidane like glue. The only time he got really excited was when he talked about his job, which Sora figured, was a good thing. “He works with the pyrotechnic people. You know, like the fireworks? I think that’s super cool. He was telling me that Disney can go through almost $55,000 worth of fireworks in one show. Isn’t that insane? I mean, almost all the parks have fireworks shows 365 days a year, Roxas.” Sora was bouncing on the couch at the information. “That is so cool! Can you imagine how much they go through in a year? I’m bad at math so I don’t want to figure that out, but, its like, a lot.”

Roxas laughed through a mouthful of pizza. “Duh, its a lot. But I mean, it shows. Every show is awesome no matter what park you go to and it’s not like …the fourth of July in town or something. It’s the best display you’ll ever see and I’m not just saying that because I fucking love it here. It’s just a fact.” 

Sora nodded. “Yeah, but, Magic Kingdom’s is the best.”

Roxas laughed “No, shit, sherlock. Magic Kingdom’s tops them all. But, tell me something I don’t know. Like how did your first day go?” 

Before Sora spoke Roxas settled in like he was about to watch a movie he had been waiting his whole life to see. This, Sora appreciated. He also realized this was probably how Roxas always looked before their phone conversations. He had finished his pizza and placed the plate on the coffee table. Now he was sitting with his knees bent, balancing on his haunches and hugging said knees. He was ready. 

Sora took a deep breath for added effect. “Well…” He paused before he spoke, making sure that he was starting the story in a place that didn’t leave Roxas to imagine anything. He wanted every detail correct. This was very important, as this was a very important day he’d just had. 

The first words out of his mouth were simple but Sora could tell Roxas understood by the way he said them. “It was…amazing.” Sora breathed in a half whisper as though he could hardly believe what had happened to him that day, despite being covered in chlorine and sun tan lotion. His eyes were practically glowing like blue flames and he looked positively star struck. 

Maybe a normal person wouldn’t feel the way Sora did about working a job where he bounced between tightening little kids life jackets to making sure the height requirement was met on slides like the Crush ’n’ Gusher. Maybe this wasn’t supposed to be as absolutely exhilarating as Sora found it to someone who wasn’t as invested in the magical animation company. However, Sora, found it to be just that. Exhilarating. 

He launched into a detailed and exuberant take on his day for Roxas. He was vaguely aware that he was speaking fast or that his hands moved equally faster as he spoke. He told Roxas about the introduction the new hires had received from their managers and the jokes that were told. He talked about the different water slides and the wave pool. Then he talked about the different foods you could order and the little taste and nod to Disney movies around the park. He also told Roxas where some of the hidden Mickey’s were because the manager had pointed a lot of them out. Sora had even signed up already to get his lifeguard certification but mostly because he wanted the whistle.

He got to shadow someone who checked the heights of kids getting on and off rides for most of the day with his new friend Rikku for most of the day. She also introduced him to her cousin Yuna who picked her up at the end of their shift. Yuna told Sora she worked at Magic Kingdom but when Sora asked what her position was, after telling her it was his favorite, she winked and shook her head and told him she couldn’t tell. He’d have to transfer to find out. Rikku said she couldn’t even tell Sora. It was too much of a secret.

“How many Rikku’s do you have?” Roxas asked with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. 

“Shut up, I’m not done! I haven’t even told you the best part!!”

The best part of Sora’s day, hands down, was not the job itself, per se. It wasn’t the fact he was outside in the Florida sunshine or that you got to have lunch for free or even that you could spend your break taking a quick dip in the Castaway Creek. No, Sora’s favorite part of the day, were the children. 

I say part of the day, however, I really should say ‘parts’ of the day. Sora’s favorite moment came in fragments. Little kids waiting in line for rides with the same sheer excitement that Sora had whenever someone mentioned Disney in a single day alone. These kids were talkative and fidgety and reminded Sora of himself. The best part of the day was getting to tighten the life jacket on a little boy who had told Sora all about how he had met Buzz Lightyear. His hands moving fast and his eyes alight. How Buzz had taken a photo with him and made him part of the Galactic Alliance. Then he’d gotten to ride on the Toy Story ride and blast aliens with his brother. 

Another little girl told Sora that Princess Jasmine had introduced her to Aladdin and told her that Abu had stolen her breakfast. To Sora’s absolute delight he’d gotten to reply to that story. “That Abu! He’s such a silly monkey. He likes to eat and steal anything shiny, doesn’t he?” The little girl had, if possible, become even more excited at Sora’s words. 

“Y-yeah!” She said, practically dancing on the spot. “She said he was busy playing with Iago though so I didn’t get to see him but I think thats nice." She paused for a moment to play with the straps on her new lifejacket. 

“What’s nice?” Sora asked, a smile from ear to ear on his face as he got to discuss such a thing. 

“That Iago and Abu get along and are friends now! Since Jafar is gone.”

Sora laughed. “You’re right! That is good. I guess Iago wasn’t so bad after all, was he?” 

“No he’s just a silly birdie.” 

Then the little girl had told Sora all about how she thought it was funny when the sultan had fed Iago crackers he didn’t like and she giggled the whole time. 

Sora was ecstatic.

All day, coming and going were kids that wanted to talk about Disney. They talked about princesses and princes, Winnie the Pooh, Lilo and Stitch, Pirates of the Caribbean and even Cars. One boy told Sora bout how he had lunch with Cinderella and how amazing it was, another little girl kept talking about the Muppet show. Sora got to tell a little girl who couldn’t stop talking about seeing Elsa, who she was seeing tomorrow, that he would make sure Elsa knew she was coming and not to make it snow. She had gone into a fit of giggles at just the prospect. 

This is the part of the job that Sora had been most looking forward too. Disney was all around him. He had completely immersed himself in it. Talking to the kids and getting satisfied and appreciative smiles from the parents made Sora feel light. When he got out of his shift that evening he was practically floating. He was covered in chlorine and slightly damp, his hair as messy as ever, he had been covered in water for most of the day and he knew he probably would be taking a lot more showers. However, you’d think he had just spent the day enjoying the water park like a guest himself on vacation. 

Roxas was, as usual, a great listener. He gasped in all the right places and grinned when it was required. He bit his lip when he was really excited about a part of the story, but he never ever interrupted Sora. He let Sora talk even when he got off course. Which Sora appreciated greatly. 

When Sora was done he threw his hands up in the air and looked up a the ceiling, a content smile on his face and he let out a small yell. 

“I just…can’t believe it, Roxas. We did it. We’re here. And I love it.”

There had always been a small part of Sora that was worried. Worried he would arrive at Disney World and find that the dream job was not all it was cracked up to be. Worried that he would find he didn’t like it at all or even, heaven forbid, hated it. He didn’t want working at his favorite place in the world to feel like, well, work. What if he came to resent it? What if the magic was lost? 

He had voiced these fears to Roxas only once and then put them away. Which, Sora was very good at doing with his emotions. He covered him in laughs or shrugged them off. Only one time in the middle of the night during a lengthy conversation with Roxas on the phone, Sora had brought up these fears. Although, before Roxas could even come up with a reply, Sora had immediately laughed and changed the subject. “But anyhow…” He’d said and quickly moved on. 

Roxas, sensing Sora didn’t want to really delve into it, left it alone. 

Speaking of Roxas, he was staring at Sora with the same kind of content smile on his face that the brunette had. He stretched out his legs, cat like from his crouched sitting position to actually sit on the couch and put his hands behind his head. 

“Man, I’m jealous. What if I start my first day tomorrow and its bad?” 

“Impossible.”

“I mean it! What if it’s like…bad, Todd?” 

Sora laughed at the joke and shook his head, reaching out to grab Roxas by his cheek and shake his head around. Roxas yelped and glared and pulled himself out of Sora’s reach, disgruntled at the sudden violent contact. 

“It won’t be bad. You’re going to lose your mind. It’s going to be awesome! Besides, you're in Hollywood Studios! You’ve got to tell me all about it, it’s going to be amazing!!” 

Roxas had not started his first day yet. Sora had started the day after Traditions but Roxas’ schedule wasn’t the same as his best friends. He’d be starting the next day. He told Sora that he would rather have started right away because having time to settle in was just making him jumpy and nervous. Sora was used to Roxas being nervous about overthinking things but he knew that once Roxas got going he’d be euphoric like Sora was about the job. Even if he had only worked one day. Sora hadn’t wanted to leave when his shift was done. 

“Oh yeah…” Roxas said looking over at Sora, recognition of something dawning on his features. “There’s a party tonight. For new people. I don’t know if it’s like…organized by Disney or just the CP’s but my roommates are going and they invited me. I mean…I don’t want to go with them. Or…I don’t want to go with just them. I don’t even know if I want to go, actually. It’s in Vista. Actually, its probably not organized by CP’s, Axel was talking about getting beer, I think?” 

He was babbling. Sora turned his head a bit, surprised, though. He knew Roxas didn’t like being forced into social situations and avoided them the best he could. A party with alcohol didn’t seem much like something Roxas would want to get involved with. Especially with a ton of people he didn’t know.

Sora smirked a bit, he could have let Roxas continue to babble but he figured he’d save him at least some embarrassment. “Okay. Yeah! Let’s go. We can meet a bunch of new people and get to know who works where and stuff. You work later tomorrow anyhow, right?” 

A look of relief washed over Roxas at Sora’s response and he nodded. “Yeah. I work until the park closes at Tower of Terror. But, uh, oh, you work in the morning right?”

Sora shook his head, his damp hair had dried and was as messy as ever. “More like…eleven-ish. The waterpark closes earlier because we only have when the sun is up. We should go!” Sora wondered if Roxas regretted telling him about the party. There was no way he was going to let him get out of now that he had. Roxas, of course, had to have known this. Maybe this was the blondes way of forcing himself to go. “I wanna be involved, anyhow…”

Sora sat up straighter and faced Roxas on the couch. He placed both of his hands on Roxas’ boney shoulders and put on the most serious face he could muster. He thought it was pretty convincing, all things considered. 

“I want to be majorly involved. I want to sign up for every workshop and go to every social thing and make this the best year of our lives, okay?” 

Roxas looked a little stunned. It wasn’t quite the look that he’d had when Sora was sitting on him on the floor, however, it was similar and it seemed to be trying to become whatever that look and been. That look had mostly freaked Sora out so he shook Roxas a bit to try and clear him of whatever was going through his head. Sora…found himself afraid to ask…Huh.  
 “Deal?” He asked again, not breaking eye contact with Roxas who blinked a few times and smiled. 

“Deal.” 

Sora could feel the relief wash over him but before he could respond there was a shout from the kitchen. 

“Hey. I wanna go. You owe me for the pizza.” 

Sora and Roxas glanced at each other and smiled.

 

 

As usual, Roxas was making a big deal about his outfit. He didn’t want to look like he put in too much effort but he couldn’t look like he didn’t put in any effort either. That would absolutely be unacceptable in his quest for at least one or two people to speak to him. Which, when he stopped thinking about his nerves, seemed to be something he did want. 

He had never expected Sora to refuse, but he did wonder if the brunette thought it was odd that he had asked. Roxas usually didn’t choose to be in the vicinity of a lot of people he’d have to speak to or interact with. He preferred it to be just Sora and him mostly and both boys knew this. Roxas, however, had remembered that this was supposed to be the highlight of both of their lives, this college program. He had remembered when Sora had so roughly grabbed him by the shoulders and shaken him into realization. Maybe if Sora hadn’t done that Roxas never would have brought the party up in the first place.

Axel had invited him with a clap on the back and a grin. There was going to be drinking and smoking from the sound of it, but it was an entire two floors of an apartment building. There was no way it was just a get together of Axel and his weird friends. If there had been an inkling of that floating around, Roxas would have absolutely refused. Especially on only his second night there. 

Axel was still full of surprises and then again, some not surprises. He actually went to bed pretty early. Well, as early as time allowed. Roxas still had no idea what Axel’s role at Walt Disney World was. He usually left around one in the afternoon and returned anywhere between midnight and one in the morning. Then he would immediately put his headphones in and go to sleep. He wore all white clothes when he went to work, Roxas had noted. This was a vast contrast to his red hair. His clothes were always splattered with who knows what when he came home though. He had to do laundry a lot. Whatever his role, it was messy. He also wasn’t sporting sharpie under his eyes. This came and went but he never had it on when he was attending work. Which, figured. 

He liked to talk a lot but more so with this friends Demyx and Zexion. Zexion hardly talked so it was a treat to see him sitting at the kitchen table reading a book and at least giving his two cents into the conversation that Demyx and Axel were having loudly. Demyx was always quick to pull Roxas into the conversation but Axel got quieter when he did this. Roxas didn’t know if that meant Axel didn’t like him or not. But then again, Axel had invited him to the party. It was mostly an invite. Really it was more like just telling Roxas to go to the party and making sure he was aware it was happening. It wasn’t as though Roxas was going with anyone he was rooming with. They just had made it known to him.

The blonde had finally decided on a loose black band tank top and a fashionable yellow and black hoodie with chino pants. Enough effort, little bit of color and the hoodie would make it look like he’d grabbed it on the way out. Good enough. His hair was the usual fluffed up on the side style but tonight he wasn’t sure why he’d spent so much time on it. At the last minute he had decided to wear a maroon beanie, anyhow.

It was almost six, which meant that Riku and Sora would be meeting Roxas at his dorm in thirty minutes. For some reason, this gave Roxas a nervous energy. He was about to blame it on the fact he had chosen to be in a crowd of people he didn’t know, but that wasn’t it…Roxas wasn’t sure he wanted to dwell on what, exactly, this feeling in his stomach was. He had it earlier in the day too, but it didn’t make sense. Roxas was emotional. He was a cancer, he knew this about himself. But he had so much emotion he usually shoved it down and ignored it. He was good at doing that. However, he was dressed in an outfit he didn’t hate and his roommates were not home. He hadn’t gone grocery shopping yet so none of the food in the house was his and he didn’t think starting a game on his 3DS before Sora and Riku came over was a good idea. 

Instead, he grabbed his skateboard and his headphones and slipped out of the apartment. He headed down the steps, eyeing people in the common room lobby and behind the front desk who nodded at him. Roxas gave a shrug to most interactions that were directed toward him.

He stepped out from the air conditioned building into the Florida humidity and put his headphones in. He tossed his skateboard to the concrete with a clatter and pushed off into the parking lot. He did a few flips and ollie’s for good measure. He actually found himself wishing Hayner was there. All of them, really. Hayner, Pence, and Olette. It would be a distraction, anyhow.

Roxas shook his head as he preformed a quick curb trick. He was in the happiest place on earth working with his best friend in the world, whom he normally only saw a few times a year. Why did he have to make everything more complicated for himself? Roxas could never let himself be happy. He wasn’t sure why that was. He always had to have something to complain about. It was his nature to be miserable, apparently.    
He scowled. Stupid overthinking. He figured, his number one flaw. 

The freckled blonde had adored hearing about Sora’s first day at Disney, though. He was so swept up in Sora’s story and excitement that he couldn’t help being excited for his first day, too. Not that he hadn’t been the first place. But watching Sora’s eyes light up like that and hearing the way his voice hitched when he talked about it…Roxas still wished Sora and him could have worked together in the same park but he was still excited nonetheless. Of course, Sora was much better with kids than Roxas. They made the blonde nervous because he swore so much and he usually smelled like smoke. He wasn’t exactly G rated. But then he was reminded that these kids had something in common with even him. Disney.

Sora had already started in the direction of his dreams. He started a day before Roxas. Roxas smiled at the setting sun streaking across the sky. Perhaps that was fitting. Maybe he’d sort his weird feelings out later. Like maybe after he dealt with the fact he was going to work for Walt Disney World for the very first time the next day. Either he was avoiding and procrastinating or that was actually a good idea that made sense.

“You can’t bring that. Even if it is hooked to your life force.”

Roxas jumped and turned around with a crooked smile on his face. “Look whose talking, crown necklace that you never take off.” 

Sora laughed and his hand went up to touch the silver crown around his neck. “Shut up, Roxas! It’s lucky. You know that.”

Sora was grinning in a sky blue v neck and light pink cargo shorts. Roxas never understood how Sora could get away with wearing those kinds of clothes. Maybe it was the contrast between his darker skin and the bright colors but Roxas knew he, himself, could never pull that look off. Riku was a little ways behind Sora, hands in the pockets of his jeans and a girl that Roxas wasn’t familiar with on his arm. 

The girl was tall. She was as tall as Sora with dark red hair and a mischievous look in her blue eyes. Her eyes actually looked really familiar, though Roxas couldn’t figure why. She was wearing a purple hoodie with no sleeves and yellow shorts and she looked at Roxas with mild curiosity. 

Sora walked up to Roxas and lightly punched him in the arm before grabbing for his board. “Gimmie that.”

Roxas rolled his eyes but he did let Sora take the skateboard. “You’re going to fall on your ass and embarrass yourself in front of your roommate.” 

Sora stuck out his tongue and attempted to ride the skateboard at least once around the parking lot, failing in every possible way. He didn’t fall down at least but there were several times he looked like he might. He wasn’t making much progress in moving at all, honestly. While he struggled with the piece of wood on wheels, Roxas gave Riku a shrug and a smile which Riku returned.

The girl on his arm and rolled her eyes. “Why are boys so incapable of proper manners? I’ll never get it. I guess I’ll introduce myself since Riku forgot who I am, apparently.” 

Riku looked mildly irritated at the prospect and made it his turn to roll his eyes. “This is Roxas, Sora’s friend.” he said with a clear look at Roxas that said ‘I’m sorry my friend is a girl and therefore insane.’ Roxas gave a half smile.

“It’s okay. Sora obviously doesn’t have any manners either. He didn’t even tell me anyone else was coming. I’m…Uh…yeah well… Roxas. I’m Sora’s best friend.” He put some more emphasis than he meant to on the best part but Riku had left it out of the introduction.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Sora’s best friend. I’m Kairi.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t going to come tonight because I didn’t know about it and someone…” She said this while glancing at Riku who decided to be busy with the tops of his sneakers in that moment. “…tried to sneak a party by without telling me.” 

Riku scoffed in fake irritation but smiled, patiently just the same. “I didn’t have a choice. You came over unannounced with some movie I’ve never seen and said we were watching it. You never assume I have plans.” 

“Because you never do plans, Riku. You watch a lot of anime and you go to Animal Kingdom a lot on your days off.” Kairi giggled as Sora, out of breath and sweaty as though trying to make a simple loop around the apartment parking lot was more like skating four miles, came back up the group and into the conversation.

“I…hate this thing.” He said through gasps of air, shoving it back into Roxas’ arms. “It’s…cursed…”

Roxas grinned. “Or you just can’t cut it. Admit it I’m just better than you.” 

“Better at …being… a butthole.” Sora muttered as he caught his breath, a grin forming on his own features. “B-besides. We have to go anyhow. I’m not letting you bring it with you, you’ll just be attached to it and skate outside and be antisocial.”

“I wasn’t going to bring it, jeeze. I was waiting on your sorry ass. Gimme a second, I’ll take it upstairs.”

Roxas returned the skateboard to his room before the four of them set off for the party. They could walk between the complexes so there was no reason to take the bus. As they got nearer to the party building they could see college kids running around the grounds and hear bass blaring and people laughing. When the music started, Roxas’ nerves flared a bit. As though sensing this, Sora threw an arm around Roxas’ shoulders and leaned on him as they entered the building’s lobby. 

This didn’t make Roxas calmer, however. Just more nervous. 

There were a few kids milling around the lobby and an RA minding the front desk. He had his feet up on the counter and took one look at the four of them and nodded toward the stairs with a smile. “If anyone asks, you signed in.” he said without much worry that anyone would, in fact, ask. 

By the time they got up the stairs to the hallway, the music was loud enough they had to raise their voices to hear one another. Every door in the hallway was open to all the rooms. Some kids were on the hallway floor talking and others were in the rooms, dancing and playing video games and eating pizza that someone had ordered a massive amount of. 

Roxas had never been to a college party but this was probably the general gist of things. Sora tapped the rhythm to the music on Roxas’ collarbone. It made him shiver and his stomach uncomfortable. When they entered one of the rooms to their right, however, Sora detached himself from Roxas with a huge grin and literally leapt over the back of the couch that was in the middle of the living room to sit down. The kids were playing a very intense game of Super Smash Brothers Brawl, which Sora considered himself to be a champ at. “Can I play next?” He asked the kid who was now next to him. The boy was concentrating on his game but glanced at Sora, grinning at his exuberance as the brunette grabbed a piece of pizza from a box on the coffee table without asking. “Sure, dude.” 

That was how easy it was for Sora to fit in. He slid into almost any atmosphere as though he belonged there. Roxas became part of the wallpaper or the furniture, mostly. Man, he wished he had brought his cigarettes. 

Kairi laughed somewhere behind Roxas and she slid in close to whisper in his ear so she didn’t have to yell. “Is he always like that?” She smelled like palm trees and vanilla.

“Pretty much. Standard Sora.” Roxas said with a shrug, though he wasn’t smiling. A good comfort for Roxas actually, was Riku. He was kind of quiet and reserved. Roxas figured he wouldn’t be drinking and losing his mind that night so at least he’d have someone to fall back on if Sora disappeared into the throng of people. That kid could talk and hold a conversation with literally anyone. 

The red head had detached herself from Riku’s arm and waved at a group of kids in on the other side of the snack bar. She turned back to Roxas and Riku and smiled. “It was really nice meeting you, Roxas. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Riku rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t make me take you home wasted.” He said, looking exasperated at the thought. “And please don’t go home with anyone that I wouldn’t.”

Kairi laughed and shook her head. “You know I don't make those kind of promises.” She said before heading in the direction of her friends. “Besides, I can’t go home with anyone you would. They wouldn’t want to go home with me, would they?” 

Roxas had his hands in his pockets while he watched Kairi amble off toward her friends. His brow furrowed at the conversation and glanced at Riku. “Wait…so…You don’t want you girlfriend to go home with you?”

The taller of the two balked for a moment, looking quite like Roxas had punched him in the stomach. “Girlfriend?” His eyes shifted toward Kairi and then he chuckled with a roll of his eyes. “Been there done that and wouldn’t do it again. Kairi is not my girlfriend. We grew up together. We dated for awhile when we were younger but it was impossible.” He shrugged, a bit uncomfortably. “I guess our parents always thought we would of ended up together. But thats…” He shifted, even more uncomfortably, running a nervous hand over the back of his neck. “Even more impossible.” Riku grew silent for a moment, the look of mulling something over in his mind etched on his features. “But. yeah. Don’t worry about it. People usually assume that. We’re super comfortable with each other, you know?”

Roxas watched Riku’s mannerisms and he wanted to ask more, however Riku’s nervous air put the blonde off to pressing it. He had automatically assumed that Kairi was Riku’s girlfriend and he felt bad. He glanced over at Sora who was now intensely absorbed in a Super Smash Bros. game. The amount of time’s that he had been mistaken as dating Sora was through the roof. Not that he ever understood how anyone thought was possible. He wasn’t…he’d never been…

The music must’ve been too loud and Roxas ripped his eyes away from Sora. When he did so they landed on the alcohol that was piled high on the snack bar in the middle of the kitchen. Roxas, looking for any kind of distraction from his current thought process. If he had dwelled on why he was avoiding this particular matter he probably would’ve found it odd, but he wasn’t dwelling on it. Not at all. 

Roxas shuffled his feet and glanced up at Riku. “Do you uh, wanna…?” he motioned at the alcohol. “I mean, we might as well do something.” Something that involved numbing the senses and not thinking seemed like a very good something, indeed.

Riku smiled and shook his head, his hair, which was already in his eyes, fell further down. “I…don’t. I mean, I used to. A lot. But I don’t anymore.” He didn’t look upset, however, Roxas felt bad he’d asked.

Before Roxas could reply to this, although he did sense it was probably a touchy subject he shouldn’t delve into when he had just met Riku, there was a shout very close to him and someone had thrown an arm around his shoulder. He jumped and he wanted to move away but he stood stock still at the sudden contact.

“Roxas!!” Demyx shouted far too close to the blonde’s freckled ear and he grinned. “You came!”

The blonde gave a forced smile. “Y-yeah. Jeeze. You smell like a bottle of rum, Demyx.” The other boy gave a laugh that was between full bodied and a giggle. He really did smell like a bottle of alcohol. He was also leaning on Roxas in a way that suggested he needed the extra leverage. “Axel was worried!!” 

Roxas rose an eyebrow at this, doing his best to support both his own weight and Demyx’s. “What does that mean?” he replied, confusion and annoyance plain on his freckled features. 

“He kept a-asking about you!! I think he’s drinkin’ in the next room. Come on, come on!!” Demyx had started attempting to drag Roxas toward the door to go to another one of the many rooms celebrating the night. 

Roxas glanced back at Riku who had a very amused look on his face. Roxas was trying, desperately, to plead with his eyes but Riku shrugged. “Go. I’m gonna go say hi to a few people across the way and from the look of Sora’s game he’s not going to get kicked out of that tournament anytime soon.” 

True to Riku’s words, Sora’s pink tongue was protruding very carefully from his mouth as he swung the controller around, still piled with an array of onlookers and a few opponents on the couch he’d taken over when they’d first arrived. Unfortunately for Roxas, there was no way out of it. 

He finally sighed in defeat and gave Riku a sad wave goodbye as a drunken Demyx dragged him from the room and into the hallway only to be shoved, less than gracefully into another room that was a few doors down from the previous. 

This room was just as noisy, if not more, than the room previous. The kids that were in this room, clearly, were drinking more than in the last, however. There was a makeshift dance floor in the living room instead of a tournament of video games and the lighting was a myriad of colors from someone’s disco ball and colored led lights strung haphazardly over the walls and looking as though they were mostly hung with scotch tape. The rooms occupants were stumbling in and out of the kitchen, some grinding and some actually dancing spread out on the dance floor, the music was much louder in here than in the last room, which, Roxas figured, was quite a feat. There were at least three couples in the room that looked as though one could swallow the other at any point in time by the sheer force of making out, as well. Roxas winced at this when it became noticeable to him. This was not his scene. He was thinking longly of changing the trucks on his skateboard in his room at home and listening to his record player softly with Sora on Skype playing his DS. 

Demyx dragged Roxas to the other side of the living room dance floor to just outside the kitchen. What looked to be a very intense game of beer pong was occurring on the kitchen table. Axel and a blonde girl that Roxas had not yet met were stationed on one side of the table, while on other end there were two boys that Roxas did not recognize. 

Axel, who was smoking a cigarette indoors, had not spotted either Demyx or Roxas but had just carefully tossed an orange ping pong ball with a satisfying ‘plunk’ into one of the remaining cups on the opposite end of the table in question. “Skills.” Axel said with a grin around his the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, a drink in his other hand. One of the boys that Roxas didn’t recognize, the shorter of the two, scowled and shook his head.

“Bullshit. You’re skills are just because you’re taller than the rest of us. If Cloud was on my team, we’d be dominating.” 

“Eat shit, Zack.” replied the girl on Axel’s team with a roll of her eyes. “Stop being such a pissy baby and take your turn.”

The boy who had been complaining looked as though he was just a bit older than Roxas and he glowered. “Shut up, princess. Beat, you go first, though. We’re running out of cups and we need a double.” He nudged the boy next to him who was wearing a basketball jersey and a black beanie and looking as though he’d drank entirely too much. He swayed a bit and shook his head before tossing his ball toward the middle of the table. It bounced off the wooden surface toward a red cup only to have a scramble between both the shorter boy, Zack, the taller blonde and Axel. Axel got the ball, in the end.

“Damn it!” Zack threw his hands up in the air only to bring them back down and drag them over his face. “Beat, you are wasted.”

Beat laughed and shook his head. “That’s because we keep missin’ cups and they keep gettin’ em, yo.” He snickered, as though he thought that his team losing was rather hilarious. Zack glowered again. 

“Guys!!!” Demyx shouted, half over the music and half simply because he probably had no idea he was shouting at all. “I brought our new roomie!! I found him!!” 

The players of this game turned to take in the drunken Demyx and weary Roxas. The two boys, Zack and Beat, gave a proper nod of a hello, the blonde didn’t even look up from examining her nails and Axel slopped a bunch of beer down his front, trying to play it off as lining a shot up with his ping pong ball. 

Demyx let go of Roxas’ wrist, which he had been dragging the blonde around by and shoved a bottle of opened beer and a shot of what looked like vodka into Roxas’ hand. Roxas looked at both with surprised and held them awkwardly. Demyx then nudged Axel in the ribs. “You didn’t think h-he’d come, dija?” Axel looked at Demyx with a clear message of ‘You’d had way too much to drink’ written across it before rolling his eyes and glancing across at his new roommate. 

“Didn’t peg you as excited when it was mentioned.” Axel said matter of factly. He drove a hand through his hair and shrugged. “Usually if people want to attend something they give a sign of…oh I don’t know…being interested?” Roxas would have normally scoffed and maybe even glared at being teased in such a way but Axel was smiling and he didn’t have as much malice behind the words as would have been implied. Instead, Roxas took a good long drink from the beer. “What made you show up?” Axel asked.

Roxas shrugged, twiddling the cold beer bottle between his left set of fingers. “I don’t know. Something to do.” He replied, which wasn’t entirely untrue. “Sora’s here.” he added as an afterthought, taking another swig from his beer. Well, it was true. Roxas never would’ve came if Sora hadn’t agreed to go. 

“That kid you came with? The brunette in the photos you put up?”

Roxas nodded. He had indeed hung photos of him and Sora on the wall next to the top bunk. Some of Sora, some of his Ocala gang. Mostly of Sora, however. He assumed Axel was so tall he must’ve just seen them by walked to the window to illegally smoke in their dorm room. He very much wished Sora was here now and he hadn’t left him to play video games in the other room. This was awkward and there were too many people and he would’ve very much preferred Sora’s ability to vibe with anyone and hold conversations at the drop of a hat. Bringing Sora to social situations made Roxas feel a lot better because he was talkative and he included the blonde in whatever direction the conversation may take. Things were never awkward or quiet and everyone genuinely did like Sora. It was easy when he was there. 

As if in response to these thoughts, Roxas downed the shot in his hand. Oh, yeah. Vodka.

Axel grinned at the face Roxas made as the hot alcohol dripped down his stomach, making him shudder. “That so? Well, I sure do wanna meet the kid. But on to more pressing matters.” he said stretching his arms behind his head. He nodded toward the tall girl on his left. “This is Larxene. Friend of mine. She’s a complete bitch.” He said this as a statement that was complete fact. Larxene, in question, still wasn’t looking at Roxas, as though practically anything she laid her eyes on in the room was more interesting than he was. She shrugged at Axel’s remark as if agreeing with his explanation of her. Roxas figured, in this case, perhaps he should take Axel’s words to heart.  


 The red head nodded at the other two across from him. “That’s Zack and Beat.” He paused before he could tell Roxas more about the two though. Which was a bit disappointing because the blonde really wanted to know if Beat was the taller boys real name. “…Hey, where’s Rhyme?” Beat, the taller basketball jersey boy looked up from his beer and glanced around behind him. When he turned back, he nodded toward the dance floor. 

“Found her, dude. She got bored of watching this game forever ago. She’s pissed I won’t let her drink but there’s no way, dog.”

Beat didn’t point out which girl on the dance floor was Rhyme, but Roxas thought he saw a flash of another beanie similar to his own. Axel shrugged and told Roxas that Rhyme was Beat’s younger sister. Demyx, who was standing nearby looking as though he might need a trash can to empty the contents of his stomach into, perked up at the nod toward the dance floor.

“Aw man, lets dance!! We haven’t danced all night, come onnn!!” He was back to tugging on Roxas’ wrist. Roxas was pretty sure Demyx looked as though the last place he should be was a dance floor. The freckled blonde had a vision of himself being thrown up on quite magnificently. 

“I…uh…don’t usually…” Roxas was going to tell Demyx he didn’t dance. Because he didn’t. He would never find the act of moving around in a ridiculous fashion in close proximity of other people who were sweating and banging into you enjoyable. However, it was as though, at that exact moment, some higher power had elected to stop Roxas from voicing this fact about himself. It was playing a song he really liked by one of his favorite bands. Maybe the iPod that was connected to the blaring stereo speakers was possessed specifically to jolt him into rebellion or perhaps he’d simply had too much to drink…But he found himself being led off by Demyx to said dance floor, a curious Axel following in their wake, that disconcerting grin still on his colorful features. Roxas downed the rest of his beer in one go and set the empty bottle on the snack table as they passed.

Once you were in the crowd of the living room turned dance floor, it seemed like a lot more people when you had previously thought. A true over thinker at heart, Roxas was awkward at first, just sort of tapping in time to the music playing on his hip and letting Demyx lose his mind. Demyx, obviously danced a lot. Even though he was, for all intensive purposes, wasted; he seemed to rather know what he was doing. That or maybe, unlike Roxas, he wasn’t that worried about it. 

Well, it was definitely the beer. Roxas found himself, eventually making an actual effort to move along to the music, the deafening sounds of music and shouts of laughter echoing through the room. Roxas calmed down after a minute or two. He got spooked at one point but Axel joining in, but the blonde had always been a light weight and some point or another someone had given him another shot. Later he’d mull over the fact of it being either Axel or Demyx, but unsure of which.

He couldn’t remember how many songs it had been, his favorite seeming to last forever, when he felt a warm presence on his back and arms draped over both of his shoulders. “Alright…” An amused voice spoke against his ear, causing him to shiver. “How many shots have you had, Rox? There’s no way you’re dancing sober. And when you've got your first day tomorrow, too.” Another chuckle.

Roxas felt like someone had attached a string to his insides that trailed away from his body and then they had jerked on it extremely hard. He shuddered and turned around, his face inches from Sora’s.

“Been looking for you. Riku said you got dragged off against your will. I, uh, lost the tournament. Came in third though!” He grinned, his arms still around Roxas shoulders, almost lazily. He was moving his hips a lot. Roxas had no idea what expression he was wearing but for some reason he thought that as close as Sora and he were, it may not have been close enough. He didn’t know why he was having this thought. The music, partnered with the crowd, was as loud as ever but Roxas could hear Sora just fine at the distance they were at. His head was a mess, that was for sure. 

Sora threw his head back lightly and laughed, bubbly and bright. Roxas shuddered at that, too. “What’s with you, dude?” the brunette asked, an expression of amusement and slight concern on his features. “Why have you been looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost all day?” 

Roxas opened his mouth to answer, which was rather stupid, as he had no idea what his reply was going to be. He was saved, lucky as he was, by Kairi. She had found the two on the dance floor and shook her head. “Hey! Just ditched my little sister.” She shouted with a laugh and hip bumped into Sora, who laughed like they were old friends. 

Sora untangled himself from Roxas to dance with Kairi and the blonde found himself cold, even though he was sweating. 

Roxas pulled away, silently, from the dance floor. From Axel who was lost in the music and Demyx who was looking ill again, but still dancing. From Kairi and from Sora. He stumbled a bit backward, shaking his head which was fuzzy from the two shots he’d drank. Roxas pushed his way past two kids making out by the door and into the hallway, which was loud, but quieter than the dance room. Someone had put on an electro version of the Beauty and the Beast's theme as joke and everyone was yelling.

He ran his hands over his face, sweat dripping down his forehead which he pushed through his messy hair.

Was that the second time in one day Roxas had wanted to kiss his best friend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doin my best to get through each day, but here's another chapter! Roxas, are you having a feeling? Is it gay? Are you...? Shit, son. Was probably just the vodka. Or tell yourself that.


	9. Strangers Like Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I have never participated in the Disney College Program nor have I worked at Walt Disney World!! I have been to Walt Disney World several times throughout my life, however, I have not attended the DCP!! If anything in the story does not align with the DCP or its practices, I have not participated in it. I HAVE done extensive research, however, there are a good amount of things I've bent in the program to align with my story!! I do not claim to be an expert on Disney World, its company or its programs!

“ _Ladies and Gentlemen, in just a few moments the library doors in front of you will be opening. Please stand back from the doors, as they will be opening toward you. Thank you.”_

 Roxas has to admit, he was grateful for the recorded voice who did most of the talking. Honestly, he didn’t have to do much talking at all with his new Disney job, which suited him just fine. The bell hop uniform wasn’t too bad, though, he’d never admit it to anyone, and he never had to be out in the sun. He smirked at the thought of Sora, though. Roxas knew Sora would hate to be in his position. Sora’s favorite part of working at Walt Disney World thus far had been his interactions with the smallest guests. The kids wanted to talk about Disney and all of its inhabitants and Sora had a blast getting to play along with them while he tightened their life jackets or checked their height. Roxas wasn’t as personable and kids tended to cause him anxieties. Of course, it was Disney. Working the Tower of Terror did not offer him many small kid conversation points though. He was practically paid to look miserable and unapproachable. The Twilight Zone staple.

 Of course, this did not stop Xion, the girl he’d met at orientation, from asking to hang out with him almost everyday. She’d found him on his second day of work by actually waiting until he’d been assigned to the gift shop after her shift in the Star Wars area. Roxas got moved around here and there in the tower but mostly he was stationed in the line queue area which was setup to resemble a library. The voice told the guests to stand back and Roxas was on the other side of the doors to usher them into the next room. Of course, this job was the easiest. He didn’t have to check fast passes and he usually didn’t have to man the gift shop that served as the ride’s exit. Again, no complaints were being issued on his part. Plus the air conditioning was a blessing.

 Xion, whom he thought he’d probably not see again after orientation despite exchanging phone numbers, had tracked him down rather quick. Just the second day after starting work she’d ended up in a group of bustling teenagers and a family of four outside his library doors. When she saw him she shrugged.

 “Knew you’d be up here, bell boy. What’s the matter? You don’t like selling miniature metal elevators and shot glasses that say ‘Welcome to the Twilight Zone?”

 Roxas stuck out his tongue as soon he was sure the passengers of the next falling elevator had passed him, abandoning his melancholy, ‘scary’ persona. “I didn’t choose to be up here, but it beats being in the sun. Stalker.” he glanced ahead at the group that was making its way past his area in the line queue. “You better go before the next group shows up or you’ll miss the ride.”

 Xion chuckled, which seemed to be a staple with her, thus far. Roxas had never actually heard her conjure up a full laugh.

 “Oh no way. I hate this ride. Drop towers make me sick and I already feel my life threatened in regular elevators. In fact you can point me to the nearest exit when I’m done talking to you.”

 Roxas rose his eyebrows in surprise and shook his head slowly. “You really are a stalker, coming all the way up here. I should call security.”

 “I work here, numb skull. Aren’t you gonna ask me what I want?”  
  
“Yeah, I was about to. What _do_ you want?”

 “Death. But that’s not why I’m here. Hang out with me. When do you get off?”

Xion asked him this at least once a day. If her schedule didn’t line up with Roxas’ (Which it usually did for some reason, fates be damned) she’d text him. Either way, she wanted to be his friend. Roxas wasn’t against this he was just bad with...Well, friendship. Friendship and communication. Luckily, Xion was easy to talk to for some reason. Maybe it was because they spoke with the same vernacular or that Xion talked to everyone like they’d been friends for years and already had established inside joke roots. (Things that were very important to Roxas, all things considered.) Besides, aside from her persistent nagging towards friendship, she was pretty cool and Roxas did, in fact, enjoy her company from time to time.

 Roxas usually worked a later shift at Hollywood Studios. The park sometimes wouldn’t close until around 10:30pm with extra magic hours. Of course Roxas knew if he got the night shift when he transferred to Magic Kingdom (which he would) that he could be there until 1am. Technically, he wanted this. His sleeping habits had definitely not improved since moving to Orlando. In fact, in his noisy dorm, they may have been worse than ever. The biggest fear Roxas had was that he was going to shout out in his sleep during a nightmare and Axel would hear him. His bunk mate would never let him live that down. Extra humiliation.

 So it was chance on a Friday that someone had wanted to switch shifts with him. Now normally, Roxas would never have agreed to an earlier shift. He hardly was awake at those hours, let alone out of bed and functioning. He wasn’t even sure how his fellow CM had gotten his number to text him in the first place for a shift change, but he figured the managers could provide that information if necessary. Before answering, however, Roxas did the obvious.

 He texted Sora.

 Sora had earlier shifts because the water park was only open during daylight hours. Those in Orlando, Florida apparently consisting of 10am to 6pm. Roxas’ shift was usually from 3pm to 10pm, depending on how fast they got everything in order after ushering guests out. But if Roxas could get out of Hollywood Studios earlier, he could probably hangout with Sora more after work. So of course, he texted him before accepting the shift change. Sora had provided a quick response of ‘DUH, take it!!’ So, Roxas was out of work 3pm, instead.

 Sora and Roxas had decided to take the day to go to the parks and actually enjoy themselves with their free passes for the first time since moving to Orlando. Roxas had been just as ecstatic as Sora over this and they had decided to make a run of Epcot. Roxas’ extreme excitement had ebbed slightly, however, when Sora announced he was also bringing Riku and Kairi.

 Roxas wasn’t sure why he felt a tug in his chest at this news, but he did. He had never really spent time at Disney with anyone other than Sora. Sure, his cousin and Sora’s older brother sometimes were included in the mix, but somehow, family was different. More of an obligation than anything. Roxas made sure never to invite Hayner and the Ocala gang to Disney when Sora was visiting. It was an unspoken rule for himself. Sora time was precious time, after all.

 Then again, they were both living practically as neighbors now and Sora’s time wasn’t as scarce as it was when your friend lived over a thousand miles away. That was true, at least. However, it didn’t make Roxas feel much better. He was worried about interacting with other people _and_ Sora. That was new. Not that it was weird or anything. That was a normal feeling when you’d been friends since childhood. _Best_ friends.

 Roxas took his bell hop hat off and ran a hand through his already messy hair. He tried to focus on the matter at hand because Xion had crossed her arms impatiently. “Well?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him and shrugging. “If you don’t want to hangout with me, you can tell me, dude.”

 The blonde spluttered and shook his head. “No! No. I just...Yeah, why not? Uh. Sora and I ...and a couple of ...friends...are going to Epcot when I get off in an hour or so. You can come if you want. But, like, I get it if you’d rather not be at Disney anymore. Sora and I never get sick of this place.” It was his turn to shrug. Smiling, Roxas figured most Cast Members wanted to hurry off Disney property after their shifts. Only being there a week, Roxas hadn’t quite picked up that everyone who worked there, really did want to be there all the time. They were fanatics just like Sora and Roxas, mostly and with free admission cast member’s were hard to get rid of.

 The raven haired girl gave a smirk. “Please. I basically live here. Let me run home and change and I’ll meet you back here at the end of your shift, bell boy. We can take the ferry.” Xion put the hood of her Star Wars hoodie up and smirked, looking Roxas up and down. “Are you going to wear that to Epcot?”

 “Fuck off, I’m not. I brought a change of clothes.”

 “Curb your swearing, idiot, or you’ll get fired. Besides, sounds like you have another group on the way up. Can you do your job and point me to the available exits?”

 Roxas’ eyes turned to slits and he grinned, putting on his most professional and spooky Tower of Terror voice, he enunciated “The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror includes sudden drops within a dark, enclosed space. This may be frightening to some _scaredy_ _baby_ guests. This is your last exit before boarding our trip to the Twilight Zone. Please exit to the left if you aren’t feeling comfortable or, you know, have a heart condition.”

 Xion chuckled again as she headed for the stairs that led to the exit. “Pretty good, bell boy, although that insult was the best you had? See you in an hour.”

 Xion was so easy for Roxas to talk to. He wasn’t sure why that was, but hell, he was so grateful. Roxas wondered if Sora would care that he brought a friend. He couldn’t when he was bringing two, right? He had asked his best friend if that was okay to do but Roxas felt weird that Sora was basically asking his permission. That seemed...strange. They didn’t need each others permission to do anything. Sure, they both took each others feelings into account but that was normal. They were best friends. Roxas shrugged in his bellhop outfit and ushered the next wave of guests through his library doors. Sora liked people. He’d probably enjoy Xion.

 After the blondes shift was over he headed backstage to change and grab his belongings out of a locker. He threw his cinch bag over his shoulders, now dressed in a plain blue shirt and cargo shorts. He was going to throw his phone in his pocket while he walked back out into the park, but he paused. He fiddled with it for a minute or two, lighting up the lock screen wallpaper of Sora and him, cheeks pressed together and in the middle of laughing at something. They’d taken it the week before going to Disney when Sora had still been staying with Roxas at his house.

 The blonde blew out a sigh between his teeth while he crossed the gate back into Hollywood Studios on the guest side. Maybe that was weird. Maybe you shouldn’t have a selfie of your best friend and you as your lock screen? Or maybe just boys didn’t do that. Girls...Girls did that, right? Yeah that was definitely a girl thing. Maybe he should change it. The more he thought about it (which was a thing he was trying not to do: think about _it_ ), the more he realized that Sora had probably been his wallpaper in several different colorful photos for years. Yikes. What did that say about him?

 Roxas shook his head as he avoided the crowds on the way to the front of the Tower. Nothing. It didn’t say anything. The blonde had put some of his thoughts on lock down since the night of the party in the Vista Way complex. He’d ended up going home before anyone else and told Sora he’d been sick. Which, wasn’t a complete lie. He had drank a lot more than he’d planned to. That, of course, was probably why he’d had that one, specific, weird thought. The thought he wasn’t going to think about again. It was probably just the alcohol, anyhow. Could’ve happened to anyone, right? Right.

 The blonde did eventually shove his phone in his pocket. He was going to wait for Xion on a bench on the way back towards Sunset Boulevard, when he spotted her in the distance, squeezing past a family who were holding hands in a line. Those were probably the worst type of guests to get behind when you were in a hurry. Besides, when you have over four people in a family, why are you all holding hands? Some of those kids were definitely teenagers. Wild.

 “Hey!” Xion smiled, hands in her pockets. It was clear she was really excited Roxas had finally been pinned down long enough to actually hangout with her. Roxas, himself was relieved. Being alone with his thoughts was dangerous. “Ferry?”

 

 

 

 There were several different ways to travel around the four parks that Walt Disney World offered. For instance, you could take the monorail from Magic Kingdom to Epcot and vice versa. The monorail would usually stop at several hotels on the way to drop off and pickup passengers. This was especially convenient for guests who had taken advantage of the hopper pass, which allowed you to visit more than one park a day. It was a quick alternative to moving the family rental car or taking one of the Disney buses. For Hollywood Studios to Epcot, you could actually walk along a path or you could take a ferry.

 The ferry passed by some of the hotel’s and resorts on the way to whichever park you were headed to. It was slower than the path, however, it was a lot more relaxing after a day of walking through the parks. Another convenience for those staying at the resorts. It let off at an alternate entrance to Epcot near the United Kingdom pavilion. This was where Sora and company was waiting for Roxas.

 Kairi and Riku were splitting fries (well, in the UK, _chips_ ) and Sora was sticking his tongue out.

 “You guys are gross.”

 Kairi rolled her eyes. “Oh, Sora. If Riku and I had a dime for every time we’ve heard that one.”

 The silver haired boy snickered. “Unoriginal. Try again.”

 Sora moaned. “You don’t put mustard on french fries! You put Ketchup!”

 Riku rolled his eyes and popped another of said mustard covered fries into his mouth it was Kairi’s turn to giggle.

 “You haven’t even tried them, you big baby.”

 “I won’t.” Sora replied, throwing his hands up in the air. “It’s against everything I stand for!”

 Riku shoved the container of fries towards Sora, his third attempt to get his roommate to try them with mustard on them. “Dude, relax. It’s like how some people like mustard on hot dogs and some people like ketchup. Or...both. Some people like both, do you like both? Just try one.”

 Sora thought about this for a second, chewing on his lower lip. He did like both. In fact, he usually piled his hot dogs high with every available condiment he could reach. He was inherently a picky eater though and if Riku and Kairi were going to get him to ingest that much mustard he was at least going to be a child about it. “Fine. But I’m going to close my eyes!”

 Kairi snorted as Sora did just that after taking a french fry covered in yellow sauce. He had his eyes squeezed tightly shut while the tang of the mustard hit his tongue. He opened one eye and unscrunched his face. He paused, chewing carefully and swallowing.

 “...Okay but it’s still ...I mean. It’s probably illegal, we’re going to get arrested by park security.”

 Riku laughed and Kairi shouted. “You dork! I told you, you’d like it. You make a big deal out of everything.”

 Sora stuck out his tongue and tried his best pout out on his new friends to no avail. He was kind of glad it didn’t work, it meant they knew him better than that. Riku was a really great roommate and lately they’d been doing a lot of stuff after work together. Riku really liked to watch movies because they gave him the opportunity to analyze all the costume decisions. Sora just liked movies so he was good to have around on the couch, munching pizza.

 Riku also loved video games. He was mostly into things you played on the computer, kind of like Vanitas was. MMO’s and what not, however, he also had a 3DS and Sora and him had been trading and battling Pokemon nonstop. Riku had even been getting Sora to watch some anime, which the brunette was excited about. He’d liked everything they’d watched so far.

 Sora was easy to get to do things because he was so sociable. So if Riku wanted to the company in anything he did, all the silver haired boyreally had to do was ask. Sora was always game.

 Kairi was a regular in their apartment dorm. She usually let herself in if the door was unlocked. She was usually trying to coerce Riku into a party or something outside of the resort and in Orlando. Kairi really loved the area and said she sometimes needed to get off of Disney property which was appalling to Sora. She also described Riku as a bit of a shut in and getting him off the couch to do something was really good for him. He always had a good time he just needed a push.

 Sora, Riku and Kairi had all gotten comfortable around each other really fast. Sora was really happy to have some new friends, especially after what had happened to him at college. It was refreshing and a relief. He was worried that the rest of his life, even at Disney, would have continued down his dreaded scene crushing first semester. He was glad he was mistaken.

 Sora was now sharing in the mustard covered fries. “Save some for Roxas. He’s got to try them!”

 Speaking of Roxas, Sora had gotten a quick text from his best friend two minutes prior reading _‘Here!’_. He had texted him their location and was keeping an eye out for his fluffy blonde hair. Then again, Sora thought, he had been wearing that bell hop hat all day. Maybe his hair wasn’t as fluffy as it normally was.

 It wasn’t long before Sora spotted Roxas weaving through the crowd toward the table he was at. Sora raised his hand to wave his best friend over, only to find that Roxas wasn’t paying much attention to him. He was laughing. He wasn’t laughing how he normally did when he was talking to someone, either. Roxas had a lot of social anxiety and his laughs usually had a bit of force behind them, a bit of an awkward lilt. However, Roxas’ face was scrunched up and he was leaning back slightly while he walked. He was also clutching his stomach.

 Slowly, Sora lowered his hand, more than a bit surprised, as he noticed a dark haired girl he’d never seen before elbow his best friend in the ribs. The brunette licked his lips. Who was that? Surely not Roxas’ roommate since they couldn’t room with the opposite sex for obvious reasons. Why hadn’t Roxas said he was bringing someone with him? That wasn’t like him at all.

 Roxas had evidently seen Sora because he reached their table with the dark haired girl whose smile seemed more like a gentle smirk to Sora.

 “Hey, dude!” Roxas seemed in a really good mood for someone who had just gotten off work, Sora thought. Then he shook his head. No. That was stupid, they worked at Disney now. Maybe he was overthinking things. He kept glancing at the girl and then back to the blonde. He hoped his concern didn’t show on his face.

“H-hey! I wondered where you-”

 “Xion? Seriously?”

 Kairi’s mouth was slightly open and she gave the girl next to Roxas a disbelieving look. “What the hell are you doing here?”

 The girl didn’t look as surprised as Kairi did, but Sora had a feeling it was hard to rattle her, whoever she was.

 “Hey, Kai.” She turned and nodded at the silver haired boy. “What’s up, Riku? ...Oh, hey, can I have a fry?” Riku shrugged.

 It was Roxas’ turned to raise his eyebrows. “Uh.” He paused and glanced at everyone around him individually before shrugging at Sora. “So we all know each other?”

 Kairi crossed her arms and leaned her chair back, huffing slightly. “Boy, do we. Did you know I’d be here, you little turd?”

 "Nope.” the girl assured Kairi, popping two fries into her mouth at once. “Roxas invited me. I didn’t know you knew him, quit whining.” She glanced over at Sora, who was just as confused as Roxas seemed to be. “You must be Sora. I’m Xion. I met Roxas at orientation.”

 Before Sora could respond to this, Kairi cut in. “Xion’s my little sister. Its her first year for CP, my second.” She licked her lips and glared at Xion. “Of course, we made a solemn pact to avoid each other so we could have our own experiences.” Kairi looked irritated until she sighed and her expression melted into a smile. “Pact broken, I guess.” She shrugged.

 Xion grinned. “I know, I know. Epcot is your turf. But, technically I’m not vising while you’re at work, which was the deal. Come on, Kai. If I didn’t have Rox’s back he’d probably have gotten lost and wondered out of Disney and into Universal at this point.” She snickered.

 Roxas laughed and Sora flinched.

 “Shut up. I know Disney like the back of my hand, Xion.” He shoved her gently with his shoulder and she shrugged, smiling.

 Sora took in a big gust of air. “Anyway!” He proclaimed loudly, easily getting everyone’s attention. “Do we...wanna get going?” He was kind of hurt. Roxas hadn’t told him he was bringing anyone nor had he told him he’d met someone at orientation. Sora was sure he’d mentioned Rikku from the water park to Roxas. He was positive he had. So why not tell him about Xion? It rubbed Sora the wrong way. Also, why were they so touchy and weird? They hadn’t known each other that long.

 Riku shrugged. “Sure, dude. Where do you wanna start? I don’t care where we go but I want to grab some candy in Japan. Otherwise, free reign for you guys, I’ll go anywhere.”

 The group decided to continue going counter clockwise and head to France first so that they’d eventually hit Japan for Riku.

Sora figured he’d messed up a bit because when they got to France, Roxas bought a crepe filled with ice cream and insisted Sora share it with him. Of course, Sora would’ve asked anyhow but he could tell Roxas was trying to make him feel better about something. Allwhile Roxas soothed his inner ice cream monster, of course. Sora supposed he’d been pouting a bit. The crepe was really good and Roxas held it for him while he licked off of it so he figured he’d let it go for now. Later, though, he’d definitely have to talk to his best friend.

 Kairi made them all sit by the lavish fountain to watch a show that occurred every few hours in the square. Acrobats would pile chairs together and then balance themselves on top. Kairi, who worked as a server at one of the character dining restaurants in Epcot, said she was always secretly and horribly hoping that one of them would fall.  
  
“I’ve never seen them mess up, but I plan to.” She’d say with a shrug and a grin while Riku rolled his eyes and proclaimed her a sadist. Xion was quick to agree that she was, indeed, just that.

 After France was the Morocco pavilion; with terracotta towers and green roofs scattered across the skyline. Sora didn’t know much about Morocco, he was never good at geography and wasn’t sure where it was located...Maybe Africa? However, he did know that in this particular pavilion you could get an overprice Henna tattoo. Which, of course, was exactly what he wanted. His parents never would let him get one on vacations and now they couldn’t stop him. He’d just have to make sure it was somewhere he could cover up at the water parks. His back seemed like a good spot, since he mostly wore a t shirt at work.

 The rest of the group didn’t mind at all, since both of the girls wanted to look at the dresses in the many gift shops. Riku, who was the most easy going person Sora had ever met, told him to take his time and he’d just hangout with Kairi and Xion. Roxas, still nibbling on the end of what was mostly a soggy, melted, ice cream crepe mess, stayed behind to support his best friend.

 Sora eagerly approached the attendants who were happy to help him pick a design. He dragged Roxas over by the arm to help him, which was pointless because Sora turned down everything the blonde suggested anyways. He settled on an intricate swirled design with an antique key in the middle that caught his eye. He was getting it on the top of his back, just below his neck. Because of this, Sora had to take his shirt off and lay down on his stomach on one of the chairs.

 The brunette had limited vision while in this position but he knew Roxas was nearby.

 “Hey.”

 “Mmn.”

“How come ...You didn’t tell me you were bringing Xion?”

 Sora licked his lips. He couldn’t seen Roxas, but he knew the blonde could hear him. There was a tense pause before he replied to Sora.

 “You didn’t ask.”

Sora scoffed. “Not good enough and you know it.”

 “Why?” Roxas asked, a hint of cautious teasing in his voice. “You aren’t jealous are you?”

 Sora flinched, causing the woman who was doing his henna to ask him to please sit still. “I am not jealous! I just...was surprised. That’s all, Roxas! Besides, she said you met at orientation so how come I’m just hearing about her now?”

 Another pause filled with the Moroccan style music and the mixed voices of the guests that passed by the shop they were in.

 “I dunno, dude. Look, its not a big deal, okay? She wouldn’t leave me alone at orientation and we work in the same park. You met someone that day, too. I forgot about it because it wasn’t a big deal. What’s up with you? You’ve been weird about her since she got here, do you not like her?”

 “No!! No...she’s really funny...And she’s Kairi’s little sister...I mean, I like her. I just… I dunno.” He trailed off, starting to wish he hadn’t brought it up in the first place. Sora was just quick to say what he was thinking...usually without thinking. It got him into trouble a lot. Now he just felt like he’d put his foot in his mouth.

 “Hey...” Roxas mumbled after another moment of uncomfortable silence. “You can’t get mad at me...you brought Riku and Kairi.”

 Sora paused to take in that information, while several things clicked together in his head. Riku and Kairi...and Roxas. Oh. _Oh._ Sora hadn’t thought about the fact he was bringing his new friends to Epcot after inviting Roxas. He’d hardly thought about it at all. He simply wanted to spend time with everyone. The way Roxas had said that though...If Sora hadn’t been lying on his stomach getting a henna tattoo he probably would’ve smacked his own forehead.

 This was the first time that the boys had attended any of the parks since they started working at Walt Disney World less than two weeks prior. Technically, it was the first time their schedules had aligned enough to enjoy the parks together...And what had Sora done? Invite Riku and Kairi.

 In retrospect, this probably wouldn’t have been a big deal but obviously it had rubbed Roxas the wrong way. Sora should’ve considered that. Sure, Roxas and him had been the parks together a million times, but that was the whole point. At least the first time since they’d started working, it probably would’ve been better had it just been the two of them.

 Sora would probably still be weird about the easy way Roxas spoke with Xion, but he understood why the blonde hadn’t warned him in advance that he was bringing someone. Sora would’ve probably done the same thing.

 He sighed. “I’m sorry, dude.” He said quietly, but loud enough for Roxas to hear.

 Another pause before he replied. “S’cool…So is your uh...tattoo.”

 Before Sora knew it, the lady was done. He hopped up from the chair and grinned over his shoulder at the piece in the mirror.

“Aw man!! Isn’t it cool, Roxas?”

 Sora turned to garner his best friends response, but found Roxas turned away from him and staring out at the people walking by.

 “Hey, dude...are you upset with me?” Sora reached out to place a hand on Roxas’ shoulder. He jumped when the blonde whirled around with a quick response.

 “N-no! I’m not mad at you! ...I-it looks cool, I told you that. J-just put your shirt back on!”

 Sora blinked, raising an eyebrow at Roxas before he laughed. “Why’re you all red and sweaty? You look like a tomato.” This was true. Roxas had turned a deep shade of maroon, mostly on his ears. It made his freckles stand out that much more.

 “Shut up.”

 Sora shrugged. The red that was dashed across Roxas’ cheeks started to ebb away when the lady who had done Sora’s tattoo spoke up.

 “You know,” She told them in her thick accent, native to the pavilion they were currently in. “In Morocco, Henna is usually applied to a bride’s hands or feet, prior to a wedding. It’s part of the tradition that afterwards, the hands be wrapped in cloth and sprinkled with rose water to give the henna a pink tint.”

Sora thought this was a really cool bit of information, since he didn’t know much about Morocco, however, the red of Roxas’ cheeks flared up again and he shoved his hands in his pockets to hastily leave the shop. Sora thanked the lady for his tattoo and followed Roxas back out onto the busy main street. He didn’t know why Roxas looked like he was over heating and was going to ask if he’d remembered sunscreen, when Xion, Kairi and Riku joined them again.

 After Sora lifted his shirt again to show off his new henna tattoo, Riku led them all the Japan pavilion, which was his favorite out of all the different countries offered in Epcot. Kairi and Xion both, said it was his favorite because he was a weeb and Roxas snorted. Sora knew this was true, but he figured at the rate Riku was going with making him watch anime, he’d probably be one too. He definitely recognized a good amount of the merchandise that the one gift shop was selling.

 Riku was ecstatic (even though he’d been several times before) and Kairi had to stop him from blowing a sizable hole in his budget buying things. She said he always did this because the discount they got at the parks made him think he could spend all his money. He also got Xion to try some Japanese candy that she said was extremely hot, so they got sodas.

 Afterwards, the gang traveled around to the other pavilions, looking at the gift shops and enjoying the sights from each different represented country. Eventually, they ended up at the Mexico pavilion for dinner. Sora complained he wanted Italian but Roxas said he had Italian all the time, which was true.

 “Besides, I mean...You’ll get homesick.” Roxas muttered, quiet enough that only Sora, who was nearby, picked up on it. The brunette paused and then smiled, gratefully at his best friend. He gave Roxas a soft punch on his upper arm.

 “...Thanks, dude.”

 “Yup.”

 All of them ate plenty of authentic Nachos piled high with beef, cheese, beans and sour cream. Sora’s favorite were the empanadas, which were fried tortilla’s filled with cheese. Then they split the churros for dessert which, Xion was most excited about.

 “So, wait...” Sora questioned, his mouth full of fried dough while he did so. “You don’t work at The Tower with Roxas?”

 Xion chuckled with a shrug, her arms on the table supporting her chin. “No way. I’d probably have refused. I was just telling your boy today, I don’t do drop towers. I’m a Star Tours kid.”

 "...Roxas isn’t...A-Anyway...” Sora cleared his throat. He was getting tired of correcting people. “Do you work on the ride then? The Star Tours ride?”

 “Nope. I’m in the Jedi Training stage show.” She paused to blow a strand of hair out of her eyes. “You know?” Xion sat up in her chair and squinted, “Trials of the Temple!” She said in an over exaggerated way that rose her voice a few octaves.

 “Oh! I actually don’t think I’ve seen that! It was only for Star Wars Weekends wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, but they liked it so much they kept it on full time. Which is surprising since so many kids whack each other, and sometimes me, with light sabers every time we do it, but you know. Its fun. Been trying to get bell boy to come see it but he usually bolts out of work.” Xion paused and made a sweep of Sora with her eyes. “Usually because of you, I’d imagine. I mean considering.”

 Sora paused with a churro halfway to his open mouth and blinked. “What does that _mean_?” he asked with a little bit more of a biting tone that he’d intended. He wasn’t sure if it was the way Xion seemed to be insinuating something or the fact that she had a nickname for his best friend that he didn’t know about. Either way, he too was surprised when he caused a massive amount of tension to settle carefully over the table.

 Kairi stopped talking to Riku and glanced at Sora and Roxas placed a hand on the brunette’s shoulder. “She...just means we usually see each other all the time? You know because we’re best friends who have living apart for so long and now get to spend physical time tog-” Roxas sped to a halt at those words, his face (and mostly his ears) getting that red tinge again that he’d had earlier as he struggled to recover whatever embarrassing thing he’d just said. “...I mean time. We spend a lot of time together! Like we used to talk on the phone a lot so I...enjoy spending time with you after work I guess? You know what I mean?”

 Sora licked the sugar off of his lips and processed for a moment. Initially, he did feel bad. He could tell even Kairi and Riku were looking at him like he’d gone overboard with his response. They just were too surprised to say anything. They were definitely waiting for an explanation though. “Sorry, Xion.” he shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like...that. Don’t know...Why I’d be mad about that?” He shook his head. “Nah, I’m sorry I said it like that. Too much sun?” He chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.

 Xion shrugged. “It’s whatever, dude. Can I have the last churro?”

 “Y-yeah! All yours.”

 Xion’s request and ‘whatever’ attitude to the situation was enough to get things slowly back on track. However, she did glance at Roxas and raise her eyebrows a bit with an accompanied facial expression. Sora was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to see that but he definitely did. He avoided looking at Roxas’ response. It might set him off again.

 He really was trying not be a big baby about Xion’s surprise presence. But Sora was definitely a big baby about most things. Vanitas made sure to tell him this a lot. What was weird was his reaction to Xion’s statement. He knew that. He hadn’t meant to sound like he was going to toss her into the World’s showcase lagoon at any opportune moment. I mean, yeah, Roxas and him were best friends. Of course they spent a lot of time together. They’d only been there a week so but getting to actually spent time with Roxas was the best part so far. Which, was wild, because Sora was _at Disney_. Full time. Working there and going whenever he wanted. He rarely left Disney property. It was literally a dream come true.

 If he was honest though, it wasn’t all the little kids he got to speak to while he adjusted their lift jackets, it wasn’t the fact he could go to the parks whenever he wanted for free, it wasn’t the discount he got on Disney merchandise and food and it wasn’t the new friends he’d made thus far. It was Roxas. Roxas being less than a bus ride or walk away. Being able to actually and physically hangout with the blonde. To see him and hear him without the buzz of the phone connection behind his words. It was wild.

 Sora was uncharacteristically quiet after that as they finished eating. He was more or less worried he was going to snap at someone again. Not that he was necessarily in a bad mood, I mean he was at Epcot, but he didn’t know where that had come from and was worried it’d come back. Maybe he should talk to Roxas about it? Maybe not. Sora and Roxas were inseparable even by states, however, both boys didn’t talk wildly about feelings. Sure, they hashed it out about other things and they had great friend communication but...Sora felt like it wasn’t something he wanted to touch. At least not now.

 After dinner, the group headed towards the front of Epcot to ride some of the rides in Future World before the fireworks display started. Sora and Roxas both made sure that the rest of their party was prepared to be there early though, so they could get a good spot. Both boys agreed that the best place to watch the display was by the Norway pavilion. This was just because it was the spot they always watched at.

 Kairi wanted to make sure they rode Soarin’ which no one in the group would stop teasing Sora about. Despite the ridicule of his name, this honestly put him in a better mood. He really loved the fact he was spending time with new friends he’d met at Disney and he really loved being included in a big group so he even appreciated the teasing. After his weird spit at Xion he figured he deserved her calling him ‘Sorain’’ for the rest of the night. She really had a thing with nicknames, Sora noticed. She hardly even called her sister by her full name. They did ride Soarin’, a virtual reality hang glider that goes over mountains and such. Roxas said it was boring when it was done though. He always said that about Soarin’ only this time Vanitas wasn’t there to agree with him.

 Afterwards, Riku took them to Test Track. Sora and Roxas were stoked to make a car but they were an uneven number and much to Sora’s dismay, Roxas said he’d partner with Xion instead to make it easier. Of course, that also meant they couldn’t ride together. Not that Sora didn’t want to make a car with Riku and Kairi but...He couldn’t remember the last time he’d rode Test Track and made a car without Roxas. Sure, sometimes Vanitas or Ventus may have helped but...It wasn’t right. It was tradition, right?

 Sora, Kairi and Riku build a car on the touch screen and when he saw the finished product, it did look really good. However, he didn’t have much of a hand in helping. He was too busy trying to see Roxas and Xion’s car next to him and how they interacted with each other. Kairi had to call him back into focus twice because when you build your virtual car you have a time limit and he wasn’t paying a lick of attention.

 The ride was absolutely fun. It always was. It was one of the fastest rides at Disney World in all four parks. This, Sora knew, of course. It simulated the car you built on the touch screen and then blasted you on a roller coaster type ride . It was definitely one of Sora’s favorite rides in Epcot. But...without Roxas it wasn’t the same. He also got another weird feeling seeing Xion and Roxas laughing when they got off the ride after the trio did. He quickly suffocated it though. There was no reason for him to feel so strange about Roxas making new friends. It was ridiculous. Sora, himself had made new friends, hadn’t he?

 Yeah. That was more than true. Riku and Sora were usually together and Kairi was usually around Riku. It was fine. To prove a point, mostly to himself, Sora tried to throw an arm each around both Kairi and Riku’s shoulders. This was very awkward and didn’t work very well because Riku was taller than Sora and Kairi was shorter. There was a bit of fumbling and a very confused look from Riku before Sora decided it best to just have his arm around Kairi. Then he asked Roxas how his ride went.

 The blonde’s laugh died a little bit on his lips and although he was smiling, he gave a shrug. “Probably better than yours. We built a really good car.”

 Sora felt like he visibly prickled. “No way. Our car was sick. We definitely had the perfect ride!” Roxas didn’t respond to this, but he looked like some of the good spirits he’d had when exiting the ride were wearing off.

 “Anyhow...” Kairi interjected before Roxas could reply to Sora. She probably sensed that continuing that conversation wasn’t a good idea. “Fireworks are coming soon. Do we wanna eat something or go for another ride?”

 “Ice cream for during the fireworks!” Both Sora and Roxas announced this at the same time, in the same tone. Sora faltered a little after that. His arm around Kairi slouched a bit and he looked at Roxas, carefully.

Riku laughed “You two are a trip.”

 Sora had been to the parks a million times with just Roxas. Roxas and, of course, sometimes family. He’d never been around the blonde with other friends their age. He’d never had to share his time with Roxas. Florida time and Disney time were always Roxas time. Roxas and Sora time. This was all new and, if Sora admitted it to himself, uncomfortable. But he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Everything was fine. New friends, new job, new state. It was fine. Change was good. There was nothing wrong with it. This is what he had wanted in the first place. There was no reason to get upset over both of them making new friends. Stupid. Ridiculous, really. Especially, considering he was the one who’d invited his new friends in the first place.

 Kairi, Xion and Riku started discussing the remaining things they could do at Epcot before the fireworks and Sora, arm still around Kairi, stared at Roxas. The freckles that danced across his face and his constructed windswept blonde hair that had been naturally disheveled by the ride he’d just rode. He laughed at something Riku said and his face scrunched up a little, splattering his freckles closer and making him squint his blue eyes. Sora didn’t like his own blue eyes. He thought they were too blue. Roxas’ were ocean colored though. Not the kind of ocean you’d find in New Jersey or even there in Florida. The kind you’d find more South. In the Caribbean. Bright blue water that melded with the sky.

 Here, in the Disney parks that both boys loved so much, Roxas used to only laugh with him. Sora was convinced Roxas used to save those laughs for him when it was just the two of them. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much. He didn’t know why he was dwelling on it. All he knew was that he wanted Roxas to look at him, too. But, it didn’t matter how long Sora looked at him while a conversation carried around them both. It may have only been a minute or two, however, Roxas didn’t so much as glance at Sora.

 “Hello! Wake up, Sora.” Riku waved his hand in front of the brunette’s face. Sora blinked and shook his head.

 “Wha-? Oh! What? Sorry.” He chuckled nervously, adjusting his arm on Kairi’s shoulder. “Spaced out. What’s up?”

 “Is there anywhere you want to go?”

 Sora paused and once again, glanced at Roxas. He knew the blonde would never speak up because what he wanted to do might be considered childish to his new friends. He licked his lips.

 “...Yeah. Can we go see Hiro and Baymax? Before the fireworks?”

 Roxas twitched. Not enough that anyone who didn’t notice him well would catch but enough for Sora to see.

 “Sure!” Riku said with a shrug. “People are probably all getting dinner before the fireworks so if they’re still around its probably a good time to go. Line wise.”

 “You boys are the worst.” Kairi said with a chuckle.

 Xion rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Kai is only saying that because she works at...” Xion looked around the plaza they were standing in. She ran to the nearest garden wall and jumped up on it, looking around the area with a hand lying flat above her eyes. “...There!” Xion pointed in the distance to a restaurant that Sora wasn’t sure he’d ever been to.

 Kairi crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue. “Shut up, Xion. This is why I don’t invite you to do anything with me.”

 “Whatever. She works at Chip N’ Dale’s Harvest Feast as a waitress. Which means shes gotta interact with the chipmunks for character dining.” Xion chuckled as she hopped down from her vantage point. “My sis gets really sick of those boys but don't let her fool you. She loves the characters, too.”

 Roxas bit his lip before he spoke. “I’m game. I mean...There’s not much left to do in Epcot anyhow. We looked at all the pavilions and besides...You stand in line inside for most of the wait. It’s hot out here.”

 He was definitely trying to play his cool. Sora grinned, taking his arm back and elbowing Roxas in the side. “He’s being modest. Roxas is a huge Big Hero 6 junkie. I know he’s more excited than he wants to let on.” Sora threw his arms behind his head in mock innocence. This was something else the two of them had looked forward to. There wasn't any teasing in anyone's voices when they talked about meeting characters. Everyone was excited just like Sora and Roxas were. They had wanted to work here too, after all. Vanitas and even Sora's friends at home would've teased him for wanting to meet with characters at his age. Not here, though. No judgement. Everyone loved Disney the same. It was...as absolutely refreshing as it was strange. They were just like Sora.

 “Shut up, Sora!” Roxas grumbled and bit his lip, a half smile forming. “Lets just go, okay?”

 They all laughed together as the group made its way toward the character spot. Sora knew that Baymax and Hiro were brand new additions to the park and they were on a limited run currently. If Roxas didn’t see them now, even though they both worked at the parks, he might not get a chance later. Plus, Sora, of course, adored visiting characters. So it wasn’t like it was just for Roxas anyhow.

 As they neared the line to wait, Roxas nudged Sora quietly. “Thanks...” he muttered, a small smile meant just for Sora gracing his lips. The brunette suddenly felt his throat close tighter than normally. He had a rough time swallowing so he could reply.

 “O-of course, you big baby. Besides, I want to see Baymax, too! I gotta get a fist bump!”

 They didn’t wait in line as long as they thought they would. Riku was right. Most people were eating dinner before the fireworks show started. It was dark out and this was probably the final few showings before Baymax and Hiro went off stage for the evening.

 It was funny, Sora thought, while he watched Riku, Kairi and Xion talk to the actors. Actors. Sora knew that’s what they were. Sure, he hadn’t met anyone outside of character since he started working at the parks yet, but that was only because he was in the water park. Both water park’s didn’t offer the option of hanging out with characters. Too wet. Too many things to do like water slides and wave pools. Plus, characters didn’t really want to get hugged by a bunch of wet kids. Sora didn’t blame them.

 It was funny though, how he knew a lot of the behind the scenes now. How he could tell which exit the characters would take and where they’d go to return their costumes at the end of the day. How the handler would tell the kids that Hiro and Baymax had to go to bed or go hangout with Gogo or Wasabi. Sora knew it wasn’t real, but...It was still there. The magic. He still got excited in line to meet them and the fact that they were just paid actors was at the back of his mind. It didn’t matter that he worked at the parks now or that he’d probably watch a mascot take off its head backstage at some point. It didn’t matter that he could come here every day...It was the same. Just as magical and exciting and fun as it had always been.

 Sora still felt like he wasn’t meeting two actors who got paid to be Baymax and Hiro. He was meeting Baymax and Hiro. With the way Roxas was pulling on the collar to his shirt nervously next to him...Sora knew he felt the same. Knew that he’d made the right choice. His biggest worry had been working at the parks destroying the magic for him. Ruining his sacred safe place with reality. It didn’t work like that though. Maybe, for some people, it really did ruin things, however, Sora knew now more than ever, he was where he was supposed to be.

 Both Roxas and Sora went up together to meet the heroes. Roxas was really excited to talk to Hiro and although Sora didn’t catch the whole conversation he watched Roxas apologize to Hiro for Tadashi’s death. As though Hiro really had lost his brother. Hiro hugged him and Roxas...was he blushing? Sora squinted and tried to muffle his laughter. Roxas was blushing. The first thing that turned red on Roxas when he blushed were his ears.

 Sora got to fist bump Baymax and Hiro and he talked excitedly about the rest of the Big Hero 6 gang with them as though catching up with old friends. Baymax ‘scanned’ Sora, informing him that he was, in fact, healthy but to lay off the sweets and eat a more balanced diet. This made Roxas laugh at him. They met up with the rest of the group by the exit. Roxas looked as though he was completely content and he actually punched Sora in the arm before tugging lightly on his wrist, the way he did when they were kids.

 “Come on. Ice cream and fireworks. We have to get a good spot.”

 After they got ice cream at the nearest kiosk the group found a pretty good spot near the Germany pavilion, overlooking the bay. It was dark now and the hum of people lined up around them, waiting with bated breath, made the entire thing more exciting in itself. Sora had seen this display a number of times before, just like he had all of the end of the night displays. It did the same thing to him that most of them did, though. He still got excited. He still lit up and watched with wonder and awe like it was the first time he’d ever seen it. Sora knew this wouldn’t be his last time seeing it either...However, nothing could diminish his excitement.

 Sora didn’t cry at Epcot’s display. No, that was reserved for his favorite park. For Magic Kingdom, alone. Epcot’s got him excited though. It was definitely an impressive and amazing display. Some would argue it was the best out of the four parks, but Magic Kingdom held that special place for Sora.

 Suddenly all the lights in all of the different pavilions around the lagoon went dark. The globe in the middle took a moment before it lit up, the only source of bright light around them. Then the music came and the fireworks began to explode in the sky. The colors and explosions matched with all the music perfectly and Sora felt that familiar tug in his stomach and throat. People are them shouted and whistled but Sora couldn’t hear them. He never could. It was probably the only time his attention was completely focused.

 The fireworks died down and the globe changed colors with the fountains that sprouted all around it and the music echoing off of the lagoon. There was a smoky after effect lingering on the water and the smell of gun powder in the air. Sora had long forgotten about his ice cream when the fireworks began anew. They were faster this time and the images on the globe showed various parts of the world and animals that coexisted with those areas. The entire lagoon was alive with the fireworks mingling with the jets that sprayed from the water. The water seemed take on whatever color the jets and fireworks gave off. Spotlights shown down from several different pavilions to illuminate the globe even more for the finale. A midst the cracks of thunder and explosions, Sora heard Xion shout and Riku cheer. He wouldn’t hear Roxas. He knew Roxas was just as mesmerized as he was.

Sora did, for a moment, take his eyes off of the display. This wasn’t something he did very often. He glanced at Roxas, who was directly next to him. Close enough to touch. He didn’t know why he did it. Maybe if you asked him later, when there wasn’t any noise and he could think clearly. When the fireworks weren’t blasting off, music loud in his years and his heart full of Disney magic. Maybe he’d tell you he did it because he needed to remind himself it didn’t matter what happened...Roxas and him would always be best friends. That regardless of what the did and with whom they did it, Sora had still seen his very first Disney fireworks display with Roxas. His very first. Maybe he needed to remind himself that was what mattered most. Maybe he just wasn’t thinking clearly. Maybe he was trying not to cry…

 Either way, among the chaos of the fireworks display, Sora reached out slowly to Roxas’ hand, which was gripping the railing tightly. A single finger touching one of Roxas’ knuckles lightly, before hesitating to go further. At this point, Sora looked away. He looked back to the dancing water and the puffs of the smoke and the loud glittering illuminations. When he threaded his fingers with Roxas’ it was easy. It wasn’t awkward and Roxas’ hand gave in like it knew this was coming, like Sora had done this a million times. They hadn’t held hands since they were little kids...and maybe even then, not like this. Something was different. Roxas’ hand wasn’t warm. It was cold and kind of clammy and his palms were rough. Sora didn’t let go for the rest of the show.

The final fireworks flew into the sky in succession and exploded with the loudest shake yet. Jets of golden light sprouted from what seemed to be just below where Sora and his friends were watching from the lagoon. They did this on all sides of the World Showcase until they shot with a golden spray toward the center of the lagoon, igniting the area with light for the final time that evening. The globe split open from the middle, shooting beams of laser light out into the audience and skyward.

 The pavilions slowly lit back up around them, illuminating the paths once more for guests to exit the park. Sora cheered with everyone else, shouting and laughing with tiny pin pricks of tears in his eyes. He wouldn’t cry here, though. He knew that. Sora glanced at Roxas, forgetting that their hands were entwined. He expected to see Roxas grinning back, to see his best friend shouting, too with a gleam in his eyes and a laugh about to boil over. Instead, he saw...fear? Confusion? Hurt? …Anger?

 Roxas was staring at their hands. His blue eyes looked dark. The more Sora looked at him the more the brunette wondered if he’d watched the show at all. Roxas? Not watch a Disney finale? The Disney kiss goodnight? That would be ridiculous...and yet. Roxas looked completely shocked. Baffled, really. His hand was still closed around Sora’s but he couldn’t look away. It was...concerning to say the least. Sora was the first to pull back. He did it quicker than he really meant to and Roxas stumbled a bit as though Sora had punched him.

 “H-hey, dude. Are you alright?” the flustered and concerned brunette questioned.

Xion must’ve noticed because she put her hand on Roxas’ shoulder, a concerned look on her face. “You don’t look so hot, bell boy. Did you get sick from the smoke and junk?”

Roxas coughed and shook his head and then he shrugged. “No? ...Y-Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know. Its fine. I’m fine. Really.” He gave Xion a weak smile, but he definitely didn’t look at Sora.

 Riku and Kairi came back down from their finale high to suggest getting Roxas some water. Sora volunteered to get it since Roxas was his best friend and he looked like he might double over. When Sora asked Roxas if soda would settle his stomach better, Roxas didn’t meet his eyes.

 “N-nah. Water’s fine. I don’t know why you guys are making such a damn fuss. I’m fine.”

 Sora bit his lip. “You look sick, dude! We just want to make sure you’re okay. Hang on, I’ll be right back.” He wasn’t mad at Roxas, of course not, but Roxas was making him feel like he should be. Like the blonde was spoiling for a fight with Sora in particular. It was really weird 180 to have after the show.

 Sora sprang into action though and ran back the opposite way to find a stand or restaurant that was still open. He was fighting the crowd, however, he hoped that even though Epcot was closing for the evening, someone would take pity on his sick friend and give him something to drink. He could always flash his ID as a cast member too, he figured. He’d get it himself if he had to.

 Sora didn’t notice the spot where the five of them had been standing previously, watching the fireworks display. He didn’t notice that Roxas had dropped his ice cream, hardly half finished on the ground without looking back at it. While Sora was gone, Kairi would tell Roxas that despite the dark, his ears, and even his freckles, were bright red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its my birthday, but I'm sharing this. It's been way too long since I've updated (I know) but I'm actually a few chapters ahead! I wasn't sure if I felt comfortable posting anything until I was done but here ya go! 
> 
> Also: This is my KoFi and I don't have any right to ask you guys for donations because I don't update the way I'm sure you all wish I would. However, being diabetic I'm like usually shit out of luck money wise. My financial life has never been the best. So if you like the story (which I'm so grateful that so many of you do) please think about buying me a coffee!! I've been writing a lot in my local coffee shop and I'd super appreciate it!
> 
> ko-fi.com/punkrocket
> 
> Since its my birthday, catch the next chapter on August 14th!! No jokes. I have no excuse not to post it since I already wrote it ;)


	10. Part of your World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I have never participated in the Disney College Program nor have I worked at Walt Disney World!! I have been to Walt Disney World several times throughout my life, however, I have not attended the DCP!! If anything in the story does not align with the DCP or its practices, I have not participated in it. I HAVE done extensive research, however, there are a good amount of things I've bent in the program to align with my story!! I do not claim to be an expert on Disney World, its company or its programs!

He was tired. More so than normal. Because if Roxas handled anything well it was his lack of sleep. His insomnia liked to run rampant and it had done that to him since he was four. He knew how to handle going to bed at five in the morning and waking up at eight. The tiredness was nothing but a buzz in the back of his head, most days.

Today it was a roar.

Roxas had been filling his days with nothing but working. He could hear the Twilight Zone theme in his head on replay. He was picking up shifts and trading his own for longer ones. His paychecks were stellar, however, his headache was increasing as much as his bank account.

The blonde couldn’t explain it. He didn’t know why he was trying to run himself into an early grave, he just knew he was. After the day they’d spent at Epcot a week ago, Roxas couldn’t stop trying to work doubles and make himself busy. He did hang out with Xion now and again after work, sometimes going to her dorm to play video games and eat Twizzlers. And _of course_ , he was texting Sora. When he could. When he had a moment or two. Most of the time, though, he worked.

It wasn’t like Roxas didn’t really like his job. Spending all of his time at Hollywood Studios wasn’t half bad even if he did have to wear the bell hop uniform. It was still Disney. Made sense, right? To throw yourself into a job you love? Sure. Why not? He could always bring a change of clothes and ride the Rockin’ Rollercoaster a few times or go see the Indiana Jones show with Xion afterwards, too.

He had just finished another double. He’d worked his coworkers shift and his. An entire day of on the clock at the amusement park. 9am to 10pm. Roxas stumbled into the apartment dorm, shaking his head and trying to process his thoughts enough to get into his room and put some pajamas on and effectively crash into his upper bunk. Okay, one foot in front of the other. Backpack on the hook by the door, kick your shoes off. Walk across the linoleum. Doorknob. You got this.

Roxas shoved his way into his room, noticing the distinct smell of cigarettes right away. Good thing room check’s were not a thing here. The real problem with Axel smoking so much was that it made Roxas want to smoke ten times more than he already did. Which he had told himself he wanted to try and quit. It was mostly because Disney didn’t allow smoking on an inch of their properties but also because Sora had said he didn’t like it...It was hard when everything in his room smelled like nicotine.

The lights were off but Roxas could see Axel on the bottom bunk, face illuminated by the light of his phone instead of his usually smoldering cigarette. No sharpie under his eyes tonight. When Roxas nearly crashed into the closet door, Axel gave a scoff from the bed.

“...What…?” Roxas muttered, half irritated, half delusional. He didn’t really want an answer and as soon as it left his lips he wished he’d kept his mouth shut. Once Axel got going it was hard to get him to stop and Roxas didn’t want the extra noise.

“You look like you got hit by a moving vehicle, that’s all. You know, nothin’ major.” Axel spoke around the cigarette lying in the corner of his mouth. “You’re just dying.”

“...Okay.”

“Nice comeback. You’re so good at words, Roxas.”

“Shut up.”

“Almost there. But boy does that lack the bite I’ve come to expect from you.”

It was the blonde’s turn to scoff. He ripped open the closet door and took his shirt off, changing into just a pair of pajama pants before making his way, zombie like, toward the bed and launching himself into the top bunk. Why did his roommate have to be such a pain in the ass? Roxas had been at Disney for a almost a month now and he still had no idea where Axel worked. In fact, he didn’t know much of anything other than that Axel worked a late night shift, wore a white uniform, smoked a lot and when he wasn’t working drew two marks under his eyes with sharpie like a weirdo. Other than those things, they hardly spoke. A wonder, really, since Axel spoke enough for the entire dorm.

“You better slow down, Roxas.” Came the voice from the bottom bunk. A note of worry in the sarcastic way he spoke that made the blonde feel like he should answer. Roxas shrugged into his pillow.

“Whatever. I’m fine.”

“You are not. You’re gonna get sick. I know the schedule you’ve been working lately.”

“How do you know I’m not hanging out with my friends?”

“Bullshit, you are.”

“Fuck off. It’s none of your business.”

This was stupid. Why would Roxas be of any concern to the redhead? They didn’t see each other much before Roxas had put himself on a workaholic schedule. What right did he have to pester the blonde about his choices anyhow? Why exactly would Axel care in the first place?

It was quiet for awhile. He thought he heard Axel say something about running and problems but he didn’t register it before he had fallen asleep.

When Roxas woke up he groaned lightly. His alarm hadn’t rung out yet, which meant that it was probably due to go off soon. Which meant he’d woken up earlier than he’d intended and he’d have to watch the clock tick down until he had to actually get out of bed. He hated waking up before his alarm.

Without opening his eyes, Roxas reached under his pillow to procure his phone and see exactly how long he had to enjoy a few more blissful moments of lying in bed and also to see if Sora was awake and putting on his swim trunks. Roxas always slept with his phone under his pillow because usually he was on the phone with Sora and this way the phone didn’t fall out of the bed and break into a million pieces. This morning, however, he couldn’t find it…?

There is only so much space under your pillow to keep things and his cell phone is only so small. Roxas sat up, bleary eyed and bedraggled and now, perfectly annoyed. He figured it may have fallen between the headboard and the mattress somehow, but even looking there proved him wrong.

“...What the fuck...” he muttered. His alarm was on his phone and he couldn’t find his phone. Shit...What time was it? Roxas shook his head and pulled himself out of bed, stumbling around the room and looking under the bed for his missing device. Axel wasn’t around and Roxas wondered why he’d be missing so early in the morning. The red head, wherever his job was, worked late nights and he usually slept until noon at the earliest. He definitely wouldn’t have been up before Roxas, who woke up around six or seven in the morning most days, to get ready to be at Hollywood Studios for opening shifts. Unless...Oh no. Roxas’ eyes grew wide. He ran over to the window and yanked the black out curtains aside and shouted.

“ _Fuck me!!_ ”

The sun, high in the sky, shone across the dorm room and right over Roxas’ panicked face, blinking in the harsh light. He didn’t know what time it was but it certainly was not six in the morning. In fact, judging by where the sun was, Roxas would be lucky if it wasn’t noon.

The blonde made a mad dash toward the bed. He couldn’t find his phone so he couldn’t even call in. Work was probably frantically trying to reach him. What if he got fired? What if he got sent home? Sora would kill him. Sora would never forgive him. Never.

Roxas tore apart the bed, throwing all of his blankets and pillows to the ground. His phone was nowhere to be found. The blonde decided the next best thing he could do was just show up to work and explain the situation. People slept in, right? They wouldn’t send him home over being late one time would they? Hours late...Without a call. Shit. Roxas made a mad dash out of his room toward the bathroom.

As he passed the living room, he heard someone call his name.

“Roxas. Slow down, would ya? I think half the building heard you swear.”

The blonde didn’t have time for this. If Axel knew his schedule why didn’t he wake him up?

“Why didn’t you tell me what time it was?!”

“Because you needed to sleep. You’ve been walkin’ around here like a damn zombie for four days. Besides, who said I knew you worked this morning?”

“I’m late!! And I could lose everything! They could kick me out because I didn’t show up for my shift! I can’t find my phone and so the alarm didn’t go off and I have no idea what time it is!”

Roxas didn’t care who heard him shouting. At this rate a noise complaint was the last thing on his mind. Besides it was _noon_. It really was a shame that in this day and age nobody used normal clocks. Roxas decided in that moment that if he didn’t get sent home maybe he should invest in an actual digital alarm clock so that this insane turn of events never happened to him again.

“Will you stop yellin’? You aren’t late for anything.”

“I had a morning shift, Axel. Yes I am!”

“You had an opening and closing shift yesterday and nobody should work that much so, no. You didn’t have a morning shift because I called you off.”

Roxas paused mid frantic run to the bathroom and turned around very slowly to look at his wild, red haired roommate. “What did you just say...?”

Axel was sitting on the couch, his lanky form spread across most of it. He was looking at his own phone and not at the panicked and slightly unhinged blonde boy in the room. Without saying anything or looking up, Axel held something up in his hand.

Roxas’ phone.

The blonde blinked as he stared in shock at the boy on the couch. Then he snapped.

“You...did... _what?!_ ”

Axel closed one eye and looked up at the boy with a shrug. “Stop yelling. You’re going to get us both kicked out. I called you off. Can’t you hear? I had to use your phone since the number for your shift is in there plus I didn’t want your alarm to wake you up. Boy, am I glad your phone isn’t pass locked.”

Roxas didn’t know how to react. He wanted to punch Axel in the face for doing something so insane without even asking him. He wanted to strangle him. However, he was so shocked that this stupid idiot had called him off of work and stolen his phone that he couldn’t speak. What kind of person went to so much trouble in the first place?

“Why...the fuck...would you do that?”

“Because you’re killing yourself. You know what time it is, Rox? It’s 2 o’ clock. You slept from midnight last night until now. If that doesn’t say you were sleep deprived, I don’t know what does. If you didn’t need the sleep, you’d have been up. Alarm or no alarm.”

The blonde clenched and unclenched his fists. Axel. This smoking, red haired, sharpie addicted punk ass moron had stolen Roxas’ phone, called him off work and turned his alarms off. Because he was...what? Worried? About Roxas? He may have been more irritating than Hayner if that’s how he intended to play this game.

The blonde scoffed and grit his teeth and marched across the room, knocking the taller boy’s phone out of his hand onto the couch next to him and grabbing him by the collar of the black hoodie he was wearing. Who wore a black hoodie in Florida anyhow?

“Don’t you _ever_ do that shit again! We are _not_ friends!”

Axel, annoyingly so, just looked up at Roxas, his green eyes scanning the kid’s face. He licked his lips, looking as though he was going to move or say something but hesitating. The silence was broken by the sound of the main door to the apartment dorm opening.

“Hey guys! Wh- Oh.”

Demyx and Zexion stood in the door way looking at the two boys (sort of?) entangled on the couch. Zexion perked an eyebrow and Demyx dumped the bags he had in his arms on the table.

“Are we interrupting something?” Zexion asked, hardly looking up from the book that was in his hands. Roxas bristled like an angry cat.

“No. You’re not.” He didn’t mean it to have so much bite. He wasn’t mad at Zexion. He was livid at Axel, however. He did let go of the red head’s collar and move away from his slightly, refusing to look at him.

Demyx glanced between the two, a bit of a frantic smile on his face, sensing the tension. Zexion didn’t seem to care very much, either way, but that’s how he was about most things, Roxas had come to find out.

“Well!!” Demyx announced, louder than he probably intended. “Zexion and I were gonna order pizza tonight if you guys are game? Movie night maybe?”

Roxas was chewing on the inside of his cheek, anger rolling off of his shoulders in waves. He didn’t answer Demyx. He was standing in front of Axel who remained on the couch, almost seemingly unphased by the situation.

“Where is it?” He asked, through gritted teeth.

Axel pulled Roxas’ phone out of his hoodie pocket without a word. However, his green eyes never left the blonde and he did not hand it back to him.

Demyx shuffled awkwardly in the kitchen.

“Okay, guys, well. Pizza and a movie at seven if you want? Zex and I are uh...plannin’ on it either way so...I’m gonna…”

Demyx grabbed Zexion by his sleeve and tugged him into their shared room, obviously allowing the two on the cough to continue their argument without any distractions. This, Roxas was grateful for, in all honesty. He hadn’t interacted with the two of them very much but Demyx and Zexion had never given Roxas a reason to dislike them. Especially Demyx, who was overly friendly with everyone.

Roxas glared at Axel and licked his lips. Apparently it was time to set a lock screen code for his phone.

“Well? Give it to me.”

“No.”

“ _What?_ ”

“Nope. You gotta promise me somthin’ first.”

“Fuck off. How dare you ask me to promise you anything. I don't owe you shit.”

Axel rolled his eyes. “Listen, tough guy. You’re running yourself into the ground and now that I got you to sleep, I should probably get you to eat. You hang out with me today and let me take you somewhere for food and you can have your phone back.”

Roxas couldn’t believe this. Where in the world did this asshole get off on taking his phone in the first place? Calling him off of work and then making demands of him like his phone wasn’t his property? Hang out? With him? Why in the world would Roxas want to hangout with this red haired punk.

“You can suck my ass, Axel. Give me the damn phone” Roxas was ready to spit fire at this point. Plus, not having his phone made him panic in general. If he didn’t have his phone he couldn’t get in contact with people and that made him anxious. He couldn’t text Sora. Especially, Sora.

Axel seemed to have the sense that he wasn’t going to win on a hard stance with Roxas and he shrugged and tossed the phone to the blonde who caught it in a frantic toss around. The blonde immediately opened it and checked to make sure calling off his shift was all Axel had done. Not that he had anything to hide...But somehow his messages and photos were personal. He didn’t like the idea of Axel going through his phone.

He looked back up at the older boy on the couch, who looked directly at the blonde. Roxas hated that. Eye contact didn’t bother Axel at all and Roxas was pretty sure he’d hold it for hours if the blonde didn’t grit his teeth and stomp toward the bedroom.

“If you _ever_ touch my shit again, I swear I’ll-”

“What? You’ll what, Roxas?”

Roxas gripped the doorknob so hard he thought it might burst in his hand.

“I’ll request a transfer.”

The freckled blonde didn’t know why he thought that was upset his roommate the most but he wasn’t wrong. Axel paused for a moment and Roxas was debating on a door slam with his exit to really get his point across when the boy on the couch spoke again.

“...I’ll buy you ice cream.”

He deflated like a balloon. It was instantaneous and immediate. Unbelievable.

 

This was how Roxas found himself in a beat up 2004 Pontiac Sunfire, bright orange and looking like it might fall apart at any given moment. He figured if anything happened to the car it would be much like a cartoon. Maybe an old black and white Mickey Mouse cartoon. The bumper would fall off then the door, then the mirror like a domino effect until the car was just a frame lying on the pavement in the middle of an intersection. Like all of Axel’s things, it reeked of cigarettes.

This would be the first time since coming to Disney that Roxas had left the property. Axel was actually a pretty good driver, which surprised the blonde greatly. The only problem was he talked the entire time and moved his hands a lot. Axel was really animated. More so than Sora was but it still reminded Roxas of his best friend. Axel also, annoyingly so, acted like the fight that morning had never occurred and spoke to Roxas like he was his good friend he’d known for years. It was irritating.

The sunfire streaked through the streets of Orlando and Roxas did have to admit Axel seemed to know where he was going. The blonde didn’t know much of Orlando outside of Disney property and he realized that he was probably seeing most of it for the first time. Sure, his mom had taken him to the Orlando Mall but that was mostly it. They lived too close for a hotel unless he was staying with Sora and his family. But Sora’s family mostly stuck to all of the tourist trap locations and it didn’t look like Axel was heading in any direction of those. Axel drove with the windows down so all of his talking that wasn’t done at an intersection consisted of him yelling over the roar of the wind.

They drove for almost twenty minutes and passed right through the middle of downtown. They’d gotten back into the suburbs before Axel slowed down and pulled into a parking space on the side of a bright green building.

“Alright, Rox. Get ready to have the best ice cream you’ve ever tasted!”

“Fat chance.” Roxas muttered, his anger ebbed away with the drive to leave behind a bitter and surly mood.

Axel didn’t respond but led Roxas, hands in his pockets, to the door of the establishment. He held the door for him, a shit eating grin on his face that made the blonde want to bristle again.

“Welcome, Rox, to Kelly’s homemade ice cream.”

Roxas’ bad mood lifted a considerable amount at the smell of the place. It smelled amazing. That sweetness that tinged the air and the chill of what could only be an ice cream parlor.

The blonde couldn’t tell you when his obsession with ice cream began he just knew it was his absolute vice. He couldn’t help wanting to have a popsicle or ice cream bar in his mouth at all times. Sora called him an ice cream expert but really Roxas just hadn’t found an ice cream he didn’t like. Since he lived in Florida, eating ice cream made it easier to deal with the heat, ,at any rate.

This place seemed relatively popular, despite being off the normal path, and the menu was pretty big. The boy glanced over it, his blue eyes taking in each flavor option. There were signature flavors, classics and seasonal. They even had a list of sorbet. The seasonal’s were included lemon raspberry and even something called ‘alligator tracks’. The signature’s were loaded with everything from Oreo’s to Mexican chocolate which Roxas had never even heard of.

Axel laughed “You’d think you were studying for a test. You should’ve seen your eyes get huge. Get whatever you want, but I gotta say, the Mexican chocolate is where it’s at.”

Roxas licked his lips without taking his eyes off the menu. That made sense. He had a feeling that was probably a signature for a reason and it had definitely caught his eye. Truth be told, he wanted all of them and making a decision was not going to be easy.

After a good five minutes or more Roxas got a sample of the coffee flavor. He might have picked something else but once he tasted it, he was sold. It really wouldn’t have mattered what he’d sampled first, it was what he would’ve picked.

It came in a waffle cone and most of the boy’s bad mood disappeared as Axel led him around the back of the shop to sit at the outdoor tables with umbrella’s in the sunshine.

“So? Come on, first Kelly’s trip, you gotta tell me if you’re losing your mind or not.”

Roxas sat across from Axel, the sun shining around them, both protected by the umbrella stuck in their picnic table. The blonde wish he had the ability to shrug Axel’s question off but the damn redhead was right. This was some of the best ice cream Roxas had ever had.

“Alright...you win. It’s really good.” It was. It was exceptionally good and Roxas wasn’t sure how his mom had never taken him here for all there trips to Orlando. “How did you find this place anyhow?”

Axel grinned, looking as though he’d won something when Roxas admitted his ice cream was good. “I grew up in Orlando and anyone who grew up in Orlando knows that Kelly’s is the best place to get ice cream. Period, full stop.”

Roxas took a minute or two to eat said ice cream. Damn it. Forcing him out with his one weakness. Besides, it wasn’t like he knew much about Axel at all and if he was honest, it had really been bugging him that he didn’t know which area of Walt Disney World his roommate worked at.

“Alright. So.” Roxas sighed between bites. “Since you obviously know where I work in Disney, you better tell me what it is you do.” Axel looked ready to protest for some reason and Roxas glowered over his ice cream. “Hey. You called me off, you owe me that.”

“I bought you ice cream too, though and I’ll probably buy you food later.” Axel countered expertly avoiding the question as usual.

Roxas couldn’t understand why the red haired boy was so adamant about not revealing where he worked. The first thing most cast members did when introducing themselves was give their name and their area of the parks. Axel hardly offered his name, most of the time. Besides, no matter what you did in the parks, Roxas figured he’d be proud to be doing it. Even if you were in custodial, you had a good job. Custodian’s had the most mobility and got to wander around more than any other cp. It was a really cool job to have. Roxas didn’t get it. Sure, he could have asked Demyx or Zexion or any of Axel’s friends but for some reason he wanted to know it from the source. Besides, if Axel was really adamant on not telling him, then it wouldn’t be fair to ask someone else.

“Make you a deal.” Axel said, biting into the cone, having already finished off most of his own ice cream.

“I don’t make deals with devils.” Roxas replied.

“Funny.” Axel chuckled. “It's the hair, isn't it? You tell me why you’ve been runnin’ yourself into the ground and maybe I’ll tell you where I work.”

The blonde scoffed into his ice cream, getting it on his face and having to wipe it on his sleeve like the messy boy he was. “I’m not running myself into the ground.”

“Roxas, come on. Nobody takes both an opening and closing shift several times a week.”

“I like my job.”

“Nobody likes their ‘job’ that much, Rox. I mean, even if it is Disney. Come on. I can tell something’s up. Even if...maybe you don’t want to admit it?”

The blonde really hated that he’d agreed to come along even if the ice cream was really good. He knew he was going to get a lecture and an interrogation which was ridiculous. Mostly, because Axel had called him off work like they were best friends and he was concerned. He didn’t have a reply for Axel though because he really hadn’t been thinking too much about it. That was the point right? To throw himself into work so he didn’t have to think about it.

Besides, who was Axel to ask him what was going on anyway? If anyone was going to pull out his inner thoughts on matters that were upsetting him it certainly wasn’t going to be Axel. Not the loud, over animated, constantly smoking, punk roommate he’d obtained that he rarely saw. No way. He’d be more likely to talk about it with Xion, which, he wasn’t about to do anyway. Xion or...No. No he wasn’t going to pull anyone in on this. He didn’t want to talk about it in the first place. He wanted it to simply go away.

“Alright.” Axel said with a sigh, stretching his arms behind his head with the last few bites of his ice cream cone still in his right hand. “I get it. So...What do you do for fun, Roxas? Besides, go to the parks and eat ice cream?”

Roxas, in the middle of taking another excessive bite of his ice cream, rose his eyebrows. He was surprised at the casual way Axel had changed the subject. As though he could read the blonde’s mind and was switching gears. Roxas shrugged.

“...Skate.”

“Sure. Saw your board. So that’s all you do?”

Roxas fidgeted a bit. He hadn’t really thought about what his list of hobbies might contain. Sure, he liked to skateboard and if he was honest, he enjoyed hanging out with his friends. He loved Disney but that was a given. He couldn’t get mad at Axel for trying to get to know him even if the questions did irritate him and even if he felt he was being put on the spot. It wasn’t like him and his roommate had done any kind of bonding whatsoever. Not like Sora and Riku. Those two had hit it off right away and once Kairi had been thrown into the mix it seemed they all made quite the trio. Which Roxas was still trying to deal with. Then again he had Xion. Not that she’d ever interrogated him about his interests. She hadn’t needed to. They just clicked.

“No...I mean...That’s not all I do.”

“Riveting. You play video games?” Axel looked amused, a smirk slowly sliding onto his face. “Come on, Roxas, give me something to go on here, would ya?”

“Video games? Uh. Yeah. I mean, not like Sora does…He’s crazy about Nintendo. I think it just helps keep him focused when he’s doing something else though.” It was pretty common for Sora to be playing a video game while he talked to his best friend on the phone. Roxas was used to hearing the background noise of Mario or Sonic while he talked.

“Okay, well...” Axel ran a hand through his hair, that amused smile still in place. “What’s your favorite? Let’s start there.”

Roxas thought about it for a minute or two, reaching the cone on his ice cream and licking his lips. “Dragon Age. Probably. I really like Spyro.”

Roxas always knew Sora leaned more toward Nintendo and Legend of Zelda and Kirby were his favorite. The blonde would always be partial to Spyro though. The purple dragon was something he’d grown up with.

“Dragon Age, huh? Origins?”

Roxas blinked, surprised Axel knew that much. “No. Two.”

“Good choice. Who’d you romance?”

This started an entire conversation about the video game and it’s ability to date the characters in your party. Axel was just as animated as he always was, hands flying around now that he had no ice cream to hold. He even laughed a lot and Roxas couldn’t help but smile. Besides, he knew a lot about the game which made the conversation easier. Eventually they got on the topic of music. Roxas wasn’t surprised to find that Axel liked 80’s punk while he, himself, was more partial to the 90’s. Axel didn’t like a lot of new bands but Roxas defended his favorites with his life.

They settled into easier conversation, learning about the other without falling back into any awkward silences like that had started out with. Roxas loosened up and his bad mood seemed to wonder off halfway through the conversation. Axel was really excited about everything he spoke about. So much so that it was hard to not get excited with him. He was definitely passionate about the things he cared about. His green eyes would light up before he even started speaking if a topic gauged his interest. He had a lot of knowledge and facts about things they both enjoyed that Roxas didn’t even know.

“Alright, Rox.” He announced with a grin as their conversation about which live bands they’d seen came to a close. “Back in the car. I still promised food and we’ve got another stop to make.”

Roxas was smiling when he shrugged. Why not? He was already taken hostage he might as well try and enjoy himself. Even if he was still really pissed off that Axel had gone behind his back and called him off work, he was considering the ice cream and conversation maybe worth it. Maybe.

The sunfire streaked through downtown, Axel determined to anger every already angry driver in the state of Florida as they went. It wasn’t road rage the opposite in fact. Axel seemed to target people who already had road rage and make the more mad. If a driver was honking at him to go faster, for instance, he’d go slower as though he had all the time in the world. Brake check’s were a regular thing.

They weren’t in the car as long this time, which Roxas actually thought was a shame because Axel had let him pick the music and the blonde loved getting to expose someone in the car to his playlists. He had to give it to the red head, he knew at least two FrontBottom’s songs. A surprise for Roxas. They did, however, run through a standard drive through where Axel bought them both cheeseburgers and fries. He said the reason for this was that the place they were going to didn’t serve food. This made Roxas wonder exactly what it did serve. He would’ve been wary had Axel not just taken him to have the best ice cream of his life. Plus, dessert before dinner and who said no to that?

When the destination was revealed, however, Roxas forgot about his stomach entirely.

They stood outside of what looked like a normal Floridian strip mall. The kind Roxas had seen over a hundred times boasting a smoothie place, 24 hour gym and the usual Publix not too far off. These were a dime a dozen in the sunshine state, especially with all the tourism and general populace. Pence had once described the state as one giant 7/11 and Roxas had laughed and agreed, wholeheartedly.

However, they were standing under an establishment that absolutely would’ve grabbed Roxas’ attention even if he was just driving by.

“Player 1?”

He inquired, eye’s alight as he stared at the double doors decked in old style video game text. Underneath the title of the establishment were the words ‘Video Game Bar’. So that’s why Axel had asked about video games. It made sense in hindsight, however, Roxas was pretty sure Axel didn’t have to gauge his interest. This kind of place looked like something anyone would enjoy.

Axel pulled the door open to usher Roxas in with a well placed ‘after you’ , however, the freckled boy paused and shifted on his feet a bit.

“I’m sorry...I’m uh...Not 21?”

It was a complete and utter shame too, because the bar looked like heaven on earth for any respectable video game player and definitely for a nineteen year old boy who had been completely overworking himself to the point of stress.

Axel chuckled. “Don’t have to be. I mean, to drink you have to be, yeah, that’s true. But, all the machines are on free to play and any age can come in as long as you aren’t trying to buy a beer.”

Roxas thought he was doing a pretty good job of toning down his complete and utter excitement, however, the way Axel was smirking like an idiot made Roxas think otherwise.

The bar was everything the outside teased it to be and more. It was huge and dark, but lit up by the neon signs and thousands of displays and televisions that lined every direction you looked. There were old style games like the Sega DreamCast and Nintendo64, along with newer things like the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox360. Lining most of the walls and spaces around the expansive bar were what both Roxas and Axel were the most interested in: Arcade Cabinets.

They had Dragon’s Lair, Spy Hunter, Tapper, Pacman, even the original Donkey Kong (which Axel couldn’t seem to pull Roxas away from even though he was really horrible at it.)

They played games in the dark bar for hours, Axel allowing Roxas to share the two beers he had when the bartenders weren’t looking. They laughed together and Roxas beat Axel twice at Punch Out!!. They jumped around to each console, waiting their turns for certain things or cheering on other patrons as they went. It was hard to tell what time it was because the window’s were tinted black so none of the light shone on the screens and caused a glare but if he was honest, Roxas wasn’t really worrying about it. They lost track of time easily. He hadn’t even pulled out his phone to check it once since entering the bar. Roxas was having a blast.

At some point both boys had decided on the PlayStation 3 since Roxas didn’t have one at home. Axel was a big fan of Borderlands and insisted Roxas play the sequel. The seating for the console games really only boasted one at a time. It was set up in a way that provided a movie style seat, complete with cup holders, for a single player to enjoy the console. Axel had sat in the chair first and Roxas sat on the left arm rest. Axel got irritated though because Roxas kept leaning in his field of vision. However, he refused to give up his seat, even though Roxas was the one playing the game.

“Fine.” The blonde rolled his eyes. “Spread your legs.”

If it hadn’t been so dark, Roxas would’ve noted that Axel’s face became as red as his hair. He did move his two legs apart, however, and Roxas sat on the floor with his back against the bottom of the chair and Axel’s two legs on either side of him.

“There are way too many gun options in this game.”

“Hit the compare button. It’ll show you the stats of what you’re carrying versus what you could loot instead.”

“Oh. Neat.”

There was silence for a minute or two while Roxas ran around the game’s tutorial and collected items for whatever beginner quest he was on.

“….Roxas?”

“Mm?”

“Why you workin’ so much?”

The sounds of the arcade around them continued to buzz. The little pings, drops and winning sirens, plus the actual apocalyptic indie music streaming out of the game Roxas was currently playing. You could hardly hear the other patrons in the bar but they were showing some sort of e sport nearby so every once in awhile a cheer rang out above the noise. Roxas sighed and continued to sniper straight into a bandit nest.

“...Lot on my mind. It’s easier to avoid it if I’m working a lot, I guess.”

Maybe it was the beer or the dark and laid back atmosphere of the arcade. Maybe it was the fact he’d had a really good day with Axel and even considered them friends now. Maybe he felt like he owed the red head that much, at least. Nobody had ever gone out of there way like this for him before. Not that Sora wouldn’t have. They just lived too far away for it. Either way, Roxas didn’t feel like avoiding the thing that was bothering him anymore. Not in that moment, at least.

Axel nudged him slightly with his left leg to keep him talking.

“Avoid what?”

Roxas didn’t stop playing the game, but he did take a minute or so to answer.

“...Been feelin’ weird. About some stuff. I guess. I don’t know. It’s hard to talk about.”

Roxas felt Axel shrug above him. “Not in a rush. Hey, get that health pack. …Nice.”

The blonde blew air out of his mouth, wishing he was smoking. Then again, he couldn’t hold the controller if he was and maybe Sora had the right idea. Having a distraction made talking easier, at least about this.

“I guess I just never thought about it before but...Now I am. Shit! My falcon’s on cool down...”

“You wanna elaborate on those thoughts, Rox?”

A few more minutes of silence. Partially for the blonde to collect his thoughts and partially because he was on very low health.

“...Not yet. Soon though, I think. When I’m less scattered about it.” He licked his lips. “I just...might have some feelings I didn’t know I could have. Didn’t think I was capable of having? I don’t know, dude. I guess for starters though, I should stop avoiding it, huh? It just all feels very high school.”

Axel was quiet this time for a moment or two and Roxas wondered if he was being too cryptic or that he should really tell the red head the truth. After all, he’d really gone out of his way for the freckled roommate he hardly saw or knew. He’d made a real attempt to change that and get Roxas to open up. However, when Axel spoke he wasn’t upset or trying to push Roxas at all.

“Okay. I’m not going to force you to talk to me about what you’re feeling, but...” Axel poked Roxas in the back of his head forcefully. “You have to sleep more. And eat more. And maybe just...exist more. You know, outside of working at Disney? Besides, man, hearing that Twilight Zone theme all day can’t be good for anyone.”

The blonde laughed lightly, the tension sliding off of him as he tried to move his head to avoid Axel’s pokes. “Alright, alright. I get it, okay? Hey, holy shit, is that a _rocket launcher_?!”

They spent another good hour at the arcade and by the time they were done it was around nine at night. Axel drove home, which Roxas didn’t mind because even though he’d purchased two beers, Roxas had drank half of each and that had been hours ago. Besides, Axel was old enough that the blonde was pretty sure he could hold his alcohol just fine.

Once the two were back at the apartment and had unlocked the door, Roxas was greeted by a familiar dark hoodie and blue eyes sitting on his couch with Demyx and Zexion.

“Hey, Sonic …and Knuckles?” Xion blinked a moment before both her and Demyx both burst into hysterics, Zexion chuckling quietly behind his book.

Axel grinned and tossed his keys on the kitchen table, surveying the scene. “Yeah that’s how I like to be greeted when I enter my place of residence. Especially by strangers.”

Xion, who was used to throwing banter around never lost her smile as she addressed Axel. “Well if you’d introduce yourself we wouldn’t be strangers, would we?”

“You’re in my house?”

“Dorm.”

“Apartment.”

“Dorm apartment, who cares?”

Axel spluttered and shook his head. “Roxas do something with it!!”

“Hey Xion!” Roxas smiled, full and immediate, ignoring Axel. The day’s effects had left him in a rather good mood. “What’re you doing here?”

The raven haired girl stretched out her legs and nodded at the coffee table in front of her. “Was looking for you. Then these two said you’d probably be back soon. Plus pizza.”

Zexion shrugged. “She invited herself. But we didn’t kick her out so...Technically, she’s invited by default?”

“Yeah!” Roxas practically cheered. “Definitely, stay. I guess you met Demyx and Zexion?” Roxas was glad she was there. They’d been hanging out a lot lately and Xion was easy to be around. Almost in the way Sora was, but not the same. There was definitely a difference in their relationship but either way the blonde was glad she’d talked to him on the bus. “This is Axel. My ro-...” He paused, licking his lips and rethinking as Xion gave him a look as if ready to tease him for his sudden stop. “Friend. My friend Axel.”

There was a clatter of plates from the direction of the kitchen counter where the red head was getting slices of pizza.

“Okay.” Xion said with a chuckle. “Love the hesitation. Keep me on my toes, why don’t you? Nice to meet you, knuckles. I’m Xion.”

“Pleasure’s mine, pint size.” Axel said as he ambled into the living room to plop onto the floor, legs crossed and going over the movie selections. “...The Hangover.”

Xion shook her head. “No way, dude. Zombieland.”

“Oh shoot.” Axel’s eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t see that one. She’s right. Roxas? Get some pizza and vote for something already.”

Xion grinned at the blonde. “And by vote he means pick Zombieland.”

“True.”

“Finding Nemo!!” Demyx huffed next to Zexion on the couch.

Roxas was definitely hungry, the cheeseburgers and ice cream from earlier a long distant memory to his stomach, however he knew he had to do something before he could settle in with his friends for the night. Xion and Axel were getting along well and laughing with the others about something so Roxas figured now was probably a good time.

“Hey, I gotta take care of something real quick but pick the movie and I’ll be right out.”

“Aw, really? What could be more important that pizza!” Demyx whined and Roxas laughed at the pitiful expression he wore on his face.

“Five minutes. I promise! And Finding Nemo!”

“Score!” shouted Demyx even though it seemed Zexion would be the tie breaker.

Once in his shared room, door closed, window open and cigarette lit, Roxas made a phone call.

Hey...” He licked his lips and took a drag off his cigarette. “...No...No...Yeah. Um, listen...” He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. Boy, he needed a shower. “...Can you pick me up this weekend?...No I’m fine. Just...need to talk to you about something and I'd rather do it in person. Don’t make it a big deal, jeeze.”

He paused listening to the voice on the other end of the line, feeling like if he was going to talk to anyone about this, it might as well be him.

“Okay. Sure. Thanks, Ventus.”

 

 

 

 

“You’re...flat. That’s a good way to describe it. You’re flat.”

Rikku was squatting in front of the water at Blizzard Beach’s Meltaway Bay, her feet covered by the most recent fake wave that lapped at the fake man made shore. The sun was high in the sky that early afternoon and the sounds of kids and adults laughing and shouting echoed off the water park slides and inner tubes. It smelled like sunscreen and summer even though it was nearly February. The park wasn’t close to what it boasted in guest’s during the summer, but the numbers weren’t bad by a long shot. Though, they probably never were.

“...Flat? What does that mean?”

Sora immediately reached up to fluff up his hair. It was usually a mess and standing on end and most described it as ‘spiky without really trying’. He never really did anything with it. It just kind of stood on end like that and was a general mess. He liked it that way though and he never got it cut too long or too short.

“Not your hair, silly.” Rikku replied with a laugh. “You in general. It’s more of the vibe you’re throwin’ at me.”

Both cast member’s had just clocked out for the day. Sora had spent most of the morning taking care of little kids over at the Ski Patrol Training Camp which was almost like a water type of obstacle course for smaller kids. Sora liked that area probably the most because he got to interact with so many of the younger guests which always made him happy. He and Rikku had just finished both of their shifts and having brought an extra set of swim gear, were soaking up some of the sun before it would dip below the clouds for the day.

Sora was sitting in the water, getting his swim trunks soaked, his hands splayed out behind him as the waves slowly lapped over his waist and torso. The sun was on him and shining however, he thought it was a little cold. Or maybe that just because of his demeanor.

“Mm...Maybe.” he replied to Rikku without much more of an explanation.

Sora hadn’t seen Roxas in over a week.

It was a record since the blonde had picked him up at the airport at the beginning of the month. They’d been seeing each other now more than ever but suddenly, since Epcot, if Sora was correct, Roxas has been working a lot more often than Sora had ever seen him do. Every time Sora had tried to hang out with him or surprise him at his apartment with pizza or fast food, Roxas had been working.

Sora had blown up the boy’s phone constantly and while Roxas did text him back, it wasn’t nearly as often as the brunette would’ve liked. Of course, Sora had never really experienced Roxas working. The freckled Floridian had a fast food job for awhile near his house when they were sixteen but Roxas had hated it and was only there for a summer. He hadn’t thrown himself into it. Then again, it was Disney. Not a fast food restaurant and Sora understood. He always took shifts if someone wanted something covered. That was true. However, Roxas seemed to never be home.

The day before had been the worst disappointment yet. Sora had gone to Hollywood Studios, assuming Roxas was working. He had every intention of catching the blonde when his shift was over so they could get ice cream together at Hollywood Scoops on Sunset Boulevard. Sora was even going to pay (discount applied).

However, when Sora went to the Tower of Terror, Roxas was nowhere to be found. Sora asked about him in the gift shop but the guy working said he was new and had no idea who Roxas even was. Sora had ended up riding the Tower of Terror twice. Alone. He was hoping he would’ve ran into Roxas at some point throughout the ride’s line queue but he didn’t spot the fluffy blonde once.

This was especially upsetting because Sora had texted Roxas all day and received no response. If he wasn’t working...where was he?

Going through the seven stages of grief, Sora had gone through the shock and denial first and foremost. Second, he’d felt guilty feeling as though he was trying to monopolize too much of his best friend’s time at the most magical place on earth and maybe he’d really annoyed or angered Roxas with how much they were hanging out. After all, they’d never been this close in proximity to each other before. Maybe he was being overbearing, which would make him a horrible friend.

Then he hit the third stage: Anger. Sora had decided Roxas was being selfish and mean by not answering his thirty text’s an hour and not talking to him about whatever might have been bothering him. Not that Sora had asked if anything was bothering him. However, if something was they were best friends and both adults, albeit young adults, that should be talking and working things out. How dare he ignore Sora’s texts and phone calls and how dare he not be home when Sora graced his dorm door with pizza and slushies.

Currently, however, Sora was planted firm and unwavering in the fourth stage of grief. Sadness and depression. It was something even the Florida sun and Disney couldn’t seem to melt away. Which was ridiculous, in his educated opinion.

He was working his dream job. Sora was working at _Disney World._ He had unlimited access to absolutely everything that had ever brought him the most joy in his life. He could ride Space Mountain twelve times in a row, if he wanted. He could eat chicken nuggets at Cosmic Ray’s until he barfed if he so chose. He could watch showing of fireworks in Magic Kingdom, then take the shuttle to Epcot to catch the World Showcase fireworks. In one night. Any night.

However,...None of it seemed to matter without Roxas.

Well, hang on. That wasn’t entirely true. Sora still adored his job and was having the time of his life working the company. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t made friends. Rikku, for instance, Sora really liked hanging with during and outside of work. She was always in a good mood and her giggle was contagious. Her older cousin Yuna would pick her up at the end of the day usually. Yuna worked in Magic Kingdom as a face character, but as for who, she wouldn’t say. Apparently she wasn’t allowed and Rikku said even she didn’t know.

Kairi and his roommate Riku were the two Sora had grown the closest to. Riku balanced out Sora’s hyperactivity and drew out his competitive side with video games and eating contests too. Plus, they watched a lot of anime together now. Sora really liked Riku and although they’d only been rooming together for a month they’d grown close. Kairi came with Riku like a packaged deal and she was at the apartment often. Sora and her also got along really well and she called the two of them ‘her boys.’. She’d always called Riku that but Sora wasn’t sure when her one boy had become her two. However, he was ecstatic about the new development. Kairi had even taken Sora out to help her pick out clothes one day while Riku was working. It was nice. It made Sora feel like he belonged here even more and although he missed his friends back home, Riku and Kairi made things much easier.

The only thing Sora wouldn’t do with them was Magic Kingdom. He hadn’t gone once since his arrival in Florida but that was because he refused to go without Roxas. That would always be special, no matter how much unlimited park access he had.

So it all did matter. All of it mattered a great deal. But Sora knew that regardless; regardless of how exciting or wonderful it was, it would be better if he was sharing it with his best friend.

Roxas was hardly present, however, and Sora didn’t know where to begin on that front. It wasn’t something he’d ever had to deal with. Even spanning the ridiculous amount of miles between them, Roxas and Sora had always made their relationship work. They’d maintained being inseparable and best friends for thirteen years. Now, when they lived so close by, they were having problems? It didn’t seem fair. Sora was used to handling issues with Roxas over the phone. This posed a whole new set of problems that the brunette wasn’t sure how to handle. It wasn’t as though they were fighting, either. Even that seemed easier of a mess to clean up.

“Okay...” was Rikku’s response to Sora’s sorry reply. “Well, I don’t know what’s bothering you but you can talk to me if you feel like it. Or, talk to someone. You should definitely talk to someone, at the least.” She backpedaled, a sympathetic smile still on her bright features. “Not that you can’t talk to me! Just that there might be someone you’re more likely to talk. What about Roxas?”

Sora groaned and threw his head back to squint at the bright sky.

“Roxas is the problem, Ri.”

“Oh. My bad.” she laughed and shook her head. “Well if he’s the problem, that’s more of the reason to talk to him. I haven’t met him but you literally talk about him 24/7. You guys are close enough you should be able to talk right?”

Sora blinked up at the sun and licked his lips. Shit. She was right. He could avoid it and tell himself he didn’t know where to begin but that wouldn’t solve anything. He did know where to begin. He just didn’t want to. It was awkward and stuffy and didn’t suit the two boys at all.

“Man, you’re right.” Sora let out a small chuckle. “I hate that. You make it sound so easy.”

Rikku let out a full laugh, kicking at the water to spray droplets onto Sora’s person who spluttered a bit and shook the offending water out of his messy hair. “It is easy, silly.”

Maybe she was right.

After they wondered a bit further into the wave pool and spent some time crashing into bigger waves further out, Sora realized he hadn’t been the beach yet. He knew some of the cast member’s had cars and he’d have to inquire as to who because he knew the further they danced toward summer the more Sora’s beach itch would increase. The wave pool was nice but it was the sandy beach with it’s real waves that the brunette craved. He was a beach bum at heart. Sora wondered if Roxas was any good at volleyball.

When they collected their things and Sora waved goodbye to Rikku and Yuna who had, once again, swung by after her shift at Magic Kingdom to pick up her cousin, Sora’s phone went off.

‘ _Hey, man. I miss you or somethin’ :(‘_

Sora’s heart skipped several beats before it started working at full capacity again and his fingers stopped shaking enough to form a response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for stickin' with me if you're still around. I'll never give up on this no matter what.


End file.
